How Troublesome Love Is
by the narutard imaginator
Summary: The desperate battle for Shikamaru... with much more beside! He has his mind set... but it's all so troublesome! KankuTen, TemaShika, ChouIno, KibaHina, NaruHina one sided InoShika, mild NejiHina. Relative recommended read: Little Green Leaf by Ninja Shen
1. Three Worlds

_Hey everyone, this would be my first fanfic... submitted at least. Haha. But yeah, I guess my first one would have to be about Naruto, seeing as I know practically everything about it. So, as a disclaimer, all characters are (c) Masashi Kishimoto, I do not own any of the people included (until further notice), and this in no way has any relation to the actual show. Entirely fan based. So, read on friends, and enjoy!_

_I forgot, there is mild language in order to stay in-character, so if that bothers you, you should probably find another fanfic._

* * *

It was an unusually still day in Sunagakure. The harsh winds that usually accompanied the burning heat were now breezes, and there was a very thin layer of clouds hovering ominously over the village. These conditions were rare alone, but together, they were even stranger. Despite how unusual it was, there was no doubt that every resident was enjoying this. Of course, any person from another country, especially the Fire or the Waves, would consider the heat harsh anyways, but for the people in Suna, this was paradise. 

A young man of about 18 rose idly from the warm comfort of his bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He stood fully and threw his thin arms up in a stretch, his mouth wide open, yawning. He dragged his feet over to a small in-set bathroom sink and turned the faucet. The water trickled out as he cupped his hands under the flow to catch some of the falling water. He lifted his hands and put his face into the cool water, rubbing it about his brow afterwards.

He reached for a towel, snatching it from it's perch, and sloppily dried his face. He then hovered over to his small closet and pulled out a plain black shirt. He yawned tiredly again, clothing his torso. He then took off his pajama pants and pulled on some loose-ish black capri pants, the kind that cling to your ankles. He slid the shoji open with one last yawn and stumbled around to the kitchen counter, where someone was already busy making breakfast. He opened his eyes, for they had been closed due to the yawn, and there stood a blonde-headed sand nin who was still in _her _pajamas.

Her hair was tied up in her usual preference, four pigtails. She turned and smiled tiredly at her brother. "Ohayougozaimasu (equivalent to 'good morning'), Gaara-sama," she said, turning her head back to a rice cooker. She shoveled the steamed rice onto a large plate, alongside with some egg rolls and some breakfast cereal. "Ohayou, Temari-san," he returned, looking questioningly at the cereal. "What the hell brand is that?" he hissed. There was nothing at all in the bowls except skinny little brown things that looked like animal pellets. "Gaara-sama, don't speak so harshly," she scolded, tisking him.

"It's that same thing you passed. Remeber? That man came saying that Kaze no Kuni's ninja were malnourished for battle?" She rolled her eyes. "This is that dumb thing you passed that all ninja aren't allowed to eat any highly sugary breakfast meals. Not to mention no complex carbs, no larger amount of sugar or fat percentage than fiber, iron and vitamins..." She faded off, glaring at the rice on the plate. "No soy sauce or anything. Just... steamed rice and fiber." She shook her head, turning from her younger sibling, setting the large tray on a small shokutaku in the middle of the dining room. He squeaked with displeasure.

'_I passed this crap?_' he thought to himself, nose turned to the ugly cereal. '_Chikushou, this is gonna be a long day_...'

* * *

_**Meanwhile in Konohagakure...**_

* * *

_**"**_Go away already!" 

"You damn namakemono!!"

"This is no buisiness of mine! Go find Naruto or someone to do it!" The 16-year-old boy shouted, rolling over on his bed, clutching his covers, shivering. '_This damn troublesome woman..._'

"**Shikamaru**!" The blonde-headed girl screamed.

"I said go away! If it's some team issue go and fetch Chouji, a bag of chips is all you'll need to get him somewhere!"

She growled loudly so he could hear it through his door, sending shivers up his spine. "_Shikamaru..._" she whispered with deadly energy. He was now rattling under his covers.

"Alright, alright!" he yelled weakly, sliding out from under his covers. "Just let me put my clothes on..." His voice trailed off, frightened. The girl on the other side of the doors turned red when he mentioned not having his clothes on. After being his teammate for such a long time, she steadily became his friend, and now her feelings had evovled into a crush.

Shikamaru, though he was a genius, was too oblivious to sensitivity and romance that he had not realized it yet. He opened his apartment door, his eyes closed, just slipping on his Jounin vest (I know Shikamaru isn't a Jounin yet, but he's 15 in the timeskip as a Chuunin, and has been for 3 years, so I figured by 17 he'd be a Jounin. -shrug- But whatever).

She was still red from blushing, but once again, Shikamaru was too dumb in the love department to realize it was because of him. "Ino, do you have a fever or something?" He said lazily, staring with his slanted eyes at her face. She turned even redder. "No, no, Shikamaru-kun, it's just--" '_Oh, crap...'_ She thought. '_I said kun, didn't I? Damn it, damn it!_' She hit her forehead, ebarrassed.

'_What the heck is Ino doing?_' He thought. '_Just a second ago she was yelling at me, and now she's calling me Shikamaru-kun?_' He blinked stupidly and said, "So what exactly did you want?" Her eyes opened wide and she lifted her head, her blush had dissipated. "Oh, yeah..." she said, just as dumbly as Shikamaru.

* * *

_Well, that's the end of chapter one! Partly because I have to get off, and partly because I want to have time to think of something good! This is basically improv, so, until next time!_

_-The Imaginator_


	2. How Troublesome!

_Hey guys! I've only seen one reviewer so far, TWNJ, so I'll go ahead and do the 2nd chapter.  
_

_ Disclaimer: I do no own any part of Naruto! All characters and settings (for the most part) (c) Masashi Kishimoto!_

* * *

Gaara poked at the bland, white rice sitting steaming on his breakfast plate. He had decided that the rice would suck more than the cereal, so he started with it first. He finally stuck his chopsticks into the pile, prying a sticky wad of unflavored rice out. It sat tauntingly on the two sticks, just sitting, steaming. He scowled at it, giving Temari great reason to question his sanity. Finally he bit it angrily and started chewing it. '_Ugh,_' he thought, '_I knew I should've read that stupid petition paper before I signed it..._'

About this time, Kankuro wobbled sleepily into the living room, rubbing his eyes with his arm. He was shirtless and wearing regular black capri pants almost identical to Gaara's. The only difference was Kankuro's had rips and tears in them. This was only one of the many times in the last week he came home with tattered clothing. Gaara's indefference towards his siblings' personal lives caused him to notice this, but not care. Kankuro yawned cat-like, arching his back and sticking his arms far out in front of him. He even stuck out his tongue.

Gaara had always noticed this strange behavior, but never really thought about it. '_Why did he even do that?_' He shook his head. '_Ok, this "brain food" is already making me think way too much._' 

Kankuro plopped down in-between Gaara and Temari, staring blankly at the limited amout of condiments on the table. "Umm... Where's the food?" He asked, cocking his head just the slightest towards Temari, since she was in charge of breakfast. "Well, Gaara passed a new order--" she glanced at him, "--that all Sunagakure ninja have eat more healthily."

She proceeded to plunge into her steamed rice, shoving her face full of the plain food so that it almost spilled out of her mouth. "What are you _doing_?" Kankuro asked, too distracted by his sister's hideous behavior to complain about Gaara's order. "Mafbye uff I shtouff mah mouff fuwll I won'nt haff twoo tafte diff nafty shtuff mowe dan oncthe."

"_What_?!" He said, drawing back his head to avoid flying grains of rice. Temari swallowed, strained, and then said, "I _said_, maybe if I stuff my mouth full I won't have to taste this nasty stuff more than once."

"Oh," mumbled Kankuro, finally moving on to Gaara as Temari once again stuffed her cheeks full of the rice. "So you did this?" He asked, with a humble tone in his voice so he wouldn't piss Gaara off. Gaara glared at him in response with threatening eyes. "Oh, ok," replied Kankuro, quickly fumbling with his chopsticks. He then began imitating Temari's barbaric way of eating. _"I'm surrounded by primitives..._" Gaara whispered as he began neatly eating his rice.

* * *

_**Back in Konohagakure... **_

* * *

Shikamaru squirmed under a heavy object, attempting to relieve himself of the pressure. "Unh!" he scoffed, "Itai!" Ino ran around the corner of a building, panting, and exclaimed as she saw Shikamaru trapped beneath a large truck that had the axels removed. "Shikamaru! Are you okay?" she said hurriedly, scuttling over beside his face. "What... what does it look like, woman??" he said with bated breath as the large metal object continued to crush him. "Oh... ok!" she said. 

She took in a deep breath and puffed out her chest as she clutched an edge on the truck. She used all her might to try and lift it enough so that Shikamaru could wiggle out. He felt a lot of pressure come off of his torso and thighs, so he tried to crawl out. He tugged on his lower legs, and finally they came loose and he scuttered out from under the death trap, and went uder Ino's legs like a bridge.

He then stood behind her as she dropped the heavy piece of metal back on the ground. She spun around to face Shikamaru and then fell over from exhaustion to lean against him without realizing. He just stood there and waited for her to regain herself, but Ino, when she realized where she was and who she was leaning against, she turned beet-red and tensed all over.

Shikamaru asked stupidly, "Ino, are you _sure_ you don't have a fever?" She pulled back quickly, turning her back towards him and hiding her face from him. It didn't help whenever he put both his hands on her shoulder and talked to her from behind, right in her ear. "Ino, are you alright?" He said quietly. She furiosly nodded her head up and down and scurried off as fast as Shikamaru had ever seen her go. He just stood there blandly, confused.

'_What is **up**__ with Ino?_' he thought to himself. '_She's really acting wierd._..' He shrugged and turned in the direction of his home and started walking.

"I guess I can go home and sleep again," he said aloud, smiling. He had closed his eyes and put his hands behind his head to walk as relaxed as possible when he heard a loud voice call out, "Oi! Shikamaru!" He opened his eyes and relaxed himself, stopping to see Naruto ahead on the same path. Standing next to him, or walking, rather, was Chouji, who was waving with a smile on his face. Shikamaru smirked. Naruto ran up to Shikamaru standing in the middle of the street, and Chouji followed at a slower pace.

"We were just going to Ichiraku for some ramen! Wanna come 'ttebayou?" Shikamaru rubbed his chin in thought. "I guess so," he said, shrugging, "it's not like I have anything better to do." He swiveled around and began to walk in the direction of Ichiraku, soon accompanied by Chouji and Naruto. "So," Chouji poked, "what were you doing in town, Shikamaru?" He shrugged. "Ino just wanted some help at her dad's house. But then the jack holding up a truck I was working on came loose and it fell on me and she helped me out," he sighed, "but then she turned all red so I asked if she had a fever and she said no and ran off to her apartment." He furrowed his brows. "Troublesome women..."

"So how long have you been walking out here?" Naruto questioned, "I mean, after she ran off, that is, 'ttebayou."

"Just a few minutes," he replied, kicking a pebble.

"Hey, look, there's Ichiraku," Chouji stated, pointing at the small business. "Yup," said Naruto shortly, "the best place in the world for ramen!" The trio went into the shelter of the bar, Shikamaru being the first, followed by Naruto, and Chouji last. "Misou pork with noodles!" Naruto exclaimed immidiately. "Make that double, with eggs," continued Chouji. Naruto squealed in delight. If there was anything that could make Naruto and Chouji happy, it was ramen.

Shikamaru looked around lazily. "I guess I'll have the same thing," he sighed, flipping out a wallet. He opened it, and inside there was a picture of him, Asuma, Chouji and Ino. He sighed. He really missed his sensei. Chouji looked over and saw the picture. He pat Shikamaru on the back, smiling. "I'll buy yours," he said, turning to face Tuechi. Shikamaru continued to look at the picture. Ino had her arm around Shikamaru, who was on the far left, looking off into the distance. Chouji was smiling his usual smile, and Asuma clenched his cigarette in his teeth. Ino was winking and sticking her tongue out. And... '_Wait... is she...?_' Shikamaru was a bit surprised. '_She's blushing!'_

* * *

_Well, that's the end of Chapter 2! Hope you liked it! Until next time my friends,_

_-The Imaginator_


	3. The Mission

_Woohoo! I have 3 reviews! I'd like to thank Unmotivated Genius and Chris's Girl 14 and again TWNJ for these reviews! And also, all characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto, this is entirely fan-based!_

* * *

Gaara hastily finished his cereal, for it was getting late (9:00) and he needed to be at his Kazekage's office before he got in trouble. He tossed his bowl carefully in the sink so as it would make a very loud noise but wouldn't break. He proceeded to run to his room and jerk out his daily outfit. The plain black shirt and slack-pants, the split trenchcoat, and the white half-shirt with belts. Oh yes, and his gourd. He stumbled to the door, thrown-off from the weight of his gourd because of the stressful morning, so he had to scrape around for something to steady him. Finally he got hold of the couch and regained himself. He stood up straight, remembering how to handle the weight. '_Chikushou..._' he thought, walking over to his sandals. He slipped them on and opened the door. This was the first time Gaara had seen today's unusual weather. '_What... the... hell?_' There were people everywhere, playing games, doing outdoor activities. '_How long have I been asleep?_' he thought, amazed at the village's activity. 

He continued to pace down the center road towards his office and the surrounders continued playing their games. There was an occasional 'Konnichiwa, Gaara-sama!' or 'Gaara-sama! Ohayou!' to which Gaara would bow his head quickly, not knowing where the voice originated. He finally got to the Kazekage's building and went inside hastily.

"_Itai_! Waaaaahh!" Gaara looked behind him. There was a small child holding his nose. He had a teddy bear; it quite reminded Gaara of the one _he_ used to own. Gaara had let the door close on it's own (these weren't shoji, they were hinged doors) and it had struck the child in the nose. He was following Gaara. "Gaara-sama," he spoke quietly, "I'm sorry I caused this trouble... I should go home..." the child turned and started walking out of the doors, small tears still falling from his eyes. Gaara reached out and grabbed the child's shoulder. The child turned around, looking, amazed at Gaara.

"No, ashikarazu (I'm sorry)," Gaara whispered, smiling. The child grinned and buried his face in his hands, giggling. Gaara grabbed ahold of his hand and said quietly, "would you like to come to my office? I could get you something." The child giggled again. "Thank you, Gaara-sama, but I can't. My mother said that Kazekages have to be left alone as much as they can. You have to work a whole lot!" Gaara continued smiling, saying okay, and opening the door enough for him to scamper out. After he left, however, Gaara stood, frowning. He knew the mother really just didn't want her child around him. He didn't even _host_ Shukaku anymore. He _wasn't_ bloodthirsty. He _didn't_ kill people for the heck of it anymore! _Why_ did people still hate him?

"Gaara-sama, are you okay?" he heard one of the assistants shout. He then realized why. He was kneeling on the floor, one hand clutching his face and the other scraping the floor. He slowly stood, regaining his composure, and turned his head so he could see the man. "Yes, thank you, Hanamiyomaru," he said calmly and queitly, turning and ascending the flight of stairs.

Suddenly his reflexes went wild and his arms flew up in the air, catching two pelting kunai. They came from behind him. He quickly swiveled around, kneeling on one knee. Another kunai was headed straight for his head. He leaned to one side, facing to his right, and bit the kunai just as it passed his face, catching it in his mouth. He spit it out into his hand, now holding all three. He glared with deadly intensity forward at the attacker. "Sabaku kyu..." he whispered, sand pooling at his feet. It flew forward, embracing the assasin. It muffled all the screams and pleads the ninja could manage. He raised his hand, and the mass of sand climbed higher and higher. "Sabaku.. Sou sou!" He yelled, clenching his fist so tightly, no blood escaped the sand. All there was was a bone-chilling scream of pain and the darkening sand. '_It's absorbing the blood again..._' thought Gaara. '_Just like it used to_.' He still had his hand raised and the large floating mass of sand began to drip blood from the bottom. Gaara closed his eyes and lowered his hand, and the sand came slithering back to his gourd, the odor of fresh blood hanging like an unsettled spirit in the hall.

"Get a bodyguard for me!" He shouted, "I am in no mood for this to happen a second time!" The assistants instantaniously began to scribble on some parchment. "Wait.." he whispered. The hall immidiately became silent. "Get me a team from our ally, Konohagakure."

* * *

_I'm gonna end this one here, because, well... it took up a lot of space. And I'm going to dedicate the whole next chapter to Konoha and Shikamaru, anyways! Hope liked it! Aijou ken enman be motte omaesan!_

_-The Imaginator  
_


	4. How Confusing!

_Konnichiwa! I hope everyone's enjoying the story so far! Right now it's just a story, nothing much is happening other than character development and whatnot, but now there's gonna start being some interaction! Not only with The Konoha nin, but with the sand sibs too! Well... later. Haha. Read on!_

* * *

Shikamaru stared blankly at the picture for a few seconds before looking up. Chouji and Naruto were deep in discussion about what flavors were the best in ramen and likewise. Then Shikamaru pat Chouji on the arm, causing Chouji to turn and 'Hm?' in question. "Hey, Chouji," he said, a bit dazed, "You know how Ino's been acting really strange?" 

"Yeah," Chouji replied.

"Well, look at this," Shikamaru stated quickly, furiously poking the picture.

"What about it?" He questioned.

"_Look at Ino!_" Shikamaru said impatiently. Chouji leaned over far and by now Naruto came in between them to look too. Naruto still didn't see anything and exclaimed it loudly. But Chouji saw the blush and realized. "Ahh.." he said, chuckling.

"What, what?" Naruto said, wishing someone would just tell him what was going on. "Naruto, look at Ino's face. _Closely_." Naruto leaned in far, his nose brushing the surface. "Aha!" he squealed, realizing now. "She likes you!" Shikamaru turned his head around furiously to face Naruto. "You really think so?" He said. '_Things are finally making sense!_'

"Of course, dattebayou," Naruto stated intelligently, crossing his arms. His intelligent mood quickly became disheveled when Tuechi placed three full, steaming bowls of ramen in front of them. Naruto and Chouji snatched two pairs of chopsticks, split them, and began downing the noodles immidiately. "Itadakimasu!" they called in unison. Shikamaru split his chopsticks, mumbled itadakimasu, and began eating slowly so he wouldn't burn his tongue.

Suddenly there were two loud voices invading the serinity of the ramen bar. Naruto peeked around his shoulders, his mouth still full of noodles, as Ino and Sakura walked in, laughing loudly at each other. They were followed by a very timid Hinata. Ino sat down and said, "Hey, forehead girl, what do you want? Extra-wide noodles?" she laughed and waved her hand. Sakura scowled and spat back, "I'm sure you want some PORK in yours, Ino-pig!" She then looked over at the three boys gawking at them.

She stood still for a while as Naruto slowly slurped his noodles, making the silence more akward. "Um... hi, Naruto," Sakura said slowly, taking her seat. Her gaze steadily shifted to Tuechi and she spoke, "One bowl, with eggs, please." Ino sat, looking at Naruto and Shikamaru, since Chouji wasn't in her sight. She didn't cease her staring as she said, "Double that, please."

Hinata just stood akwardly, tapping her fingers as she grew redder and redder, but finally she said, "M-misou pork w-with noodles, please..." looking off at the shuffling feet that occupied the street. Tuechi nodded quickly and turned around, starting the order. "Well," Naruto stated, "Whats going on?" He swiveled around, facing his ramen again, slurping a whole throatful before looking back.

Ino looked akwardly around before saying, "We... well, we just wanted some ramen..." She looked at Hinata, who she caught in the act of staring dreamily at Naruto, and patted the seat next to her. Hinata snapped out of her daze, turning red, and sat, flustered. Tuechi whipped around and set their bowls down gently. Hinata swiftly grabbed her chopsticks, peeling them and whispering "I-i-itadakimasu!" before she delicately started her ramen.

Ino and Sakura looked at eachother, Ino blushing, because right before they'd walked in, they were talking about what happened with Shikamaru. Of course Sakura knew that Ino liked him, she was her 'best friend', whether it was a love/hate relationship or not. Sakura bobbed her head rapidly, looking wide eyed at Ino and looking at the chopstick dispenser and back at Ino repeatedly. Ino blinked and then got the message. '_Duh!_' she thought, snatching a pair of chopsticks and splitting them. She began to eat her ramen as Sakura repeated what Ino had just done. Naruto shrugged and continued eating his ramen, the other two boys continuing the pattern.

All of the sudden Naruto choked on his ramen, sputtering stupidly, and falling backwards off of his stool. Shikamaru and Chouji turned to him, looking at him as if he were stupid. Ino just stared at him as he rolled around, clutching his throat, thinking he would just stop and they'd all laugh. Sakura was in a little of a panic. She had come to think of Naruto in a way similar to a son. She kind of babysat him. But Hinata was completely flustered. Here they were eating ramen, and all the sudden her true love falls to the ground, choking. '_What should I do? What should I do??_' she thought, frantically. '_Wait, Hinata. This is_ Naruto_ at stake, here. CPR, Hinata, CPR!_' Finally, she calmed herself enough to gather her wits and she bent down on the ground next to him.

She put her hands criss-cross in front of her, palms overlapping. She added a thin, extremely thin, layer of chakra to her bottom palm to insure his revival. She firmly planted her hands on his center chest and thrust her body weight into his lung area. He coughed rackingly and sputtered before sitting up and inhaling deeply. "H-Hinata.." he breathed, "Than-thank you!"

Suddenly he reached out and embraced her tightly, still breathing heavily. She was right next to him, this close, so close she could smell him, feel him, almost even taste him. She was breathless. His heart was beating hard, right in synch with hers-- she could feel it. The life being pulsed through his viens. To her, it seemed like they were one. Then something strange happened. Rather than, like usual Hinata, turning 100 shades of red and drawing back, she leaned in, closing her eyes, and hugged him back.

Ino and Sakura stared in amazement. '_No way..._' Ino thought. '_She's sitting here hugging him like they're best buddies... but before, she couldn't be around him without practically passing out._' She stared blankly as they sat there, snuggling, the same expression on everyone's face. It was several seconds, after Naruto and Hinata had fully absorbed each others energy, before Naruto squeezed tightly and then relaxed, drawing back and opening his eyes as Hinata did the same.

"Oh, my g-g-g..." she sputtered, burying her face in her hands, frantically shaking her head back and forth. Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, and she stopped. She looked up, horror on her face. '_What if I scared him? Oh no, oh no, oh no...!_'

When she finally looked at his face, what she saw astounded her. He was smiling at her, a big grin plastered on his face. "Wow, Hinata," he exclaimed, "You're a great hugger!" and with those words, he threw his arms around her again. This time she turned the thousand shades of red, but she buried her face in the nape of his neck and squeezed around his waist. He rocked back and forth, the two of them swaying to and fro, Naruto chuckling. Hinata could feel the sound waves eminating from his throat vibrating on her neck, seemingly warming her. She wished they could stay like this forever.

For a while her wish was coming true. Sadly, though, it was interrupted by a flustered Shizune, who came panting, trying to say something. However, none of them could make it out. "What did you just say?" said Chouji, wiping off his mouth with a napkin.

"T-Tsunade-de needs you-you six..." she breathed, supporting herself on the side of the wall. She was obviously trained only as a medical ninja, or else she wouldn't have been panting so hard. They all looked confused. "W-well? she said, catching her breath, looking around at the blank-faced teenagers. "Come on!"

* * *

"You six have been ordered to protect the Kazekage; Gaara," Tsunade stated firmly, her eyes closed, hands folded in front of her furrowed brow. 

"What??" Naruto and Ino exclaimed, almost in unison.

"There was attempted assassination on the Kazekage." Tsunade said simply

They all drew back slightly, or showed some kind of shock or concern. "Well... why all of us?" Ino asked impatiently. Tsunade's brow was now deeply set with lines of concentration. "Well," she started calmly, "to start, your all Jounins. To add, you, Chouji and Shikamaru were a team as Genins under the supervision of Sarutobi Asuma, am I correct?" The three nodded in agreement. Ino was close to tears, remembering the last moments with her sensei. Tsunade's words, however, interrupted her thoughts. "And Naruto and Sakura-- as well as Uchiha Sasuke-- used to be on a team as Genins under the super vision of Hatake Kakashi, _am I correct?_" The two nodded.

"W-well..." Hinata shyly spoke up, "What abo-bout me?" Tsunade looked over to Hinata with the look of concentration on her face. It was quite an intense stare. Tsunade very quickly softened her expression towards Hinata. "You," she spoke softly, "Well, there is no third party member for Naruto and Sakura, and quite frankly no detecting skills at all." She tapped a pencil on her desk. "Your company and Byakugan will come in quite handy. Plus, you're all about the same age, you know each other, you get along. You six _and_ Gaara." She smiled at them all.

Naruto flashed his huge grin. "Well, see ya, Granny Tsunade!"

* * *

_Well, there's Chapter 4! Wow I'm really dishin' it out here! Haha! Can _you_ guess how Shikamaru and Temari end up going together? Can you imagine the drama? Oh my gosh, drama! Lol just kidding! Just kidding! Until next time-- aijou ken enman be motte omaesan!_

_ -The Imaginator_


	5. The Arrival

_Oh my gosh guys, sorry for taking so long to update! Well, anyhoo, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!  
_

* * *

The trees swayed as six figures whizzed past them. The surrounding vegetation was thinning; soft, dark soil slowly fading to dry, cracked ground and then to barren and sandy terrain. Tall trees turned to short trees and then to shrubs and bushes. The six Leaf shinobi were pelting at top speed in order to complete their journey in the shortest time possible. The mission was urgent. 

At last, the forest that they were so accustomed to had entirely vanished and here forth lie sand. Their destination crept closer and closer until the small village of Sunagakure was a dot on the horizon. At that moment, hope leapt into the hearts of the six shinobi. The desert, after all, was quite full of despair. Finally, after several consecutive hours, the Leaf shinobi arrived at the taunting gates of Sunagakure.

They creaked open to reveal an unusually active village. Naruto, who had recently spent time in Suna, walked in cautiously. '_What the heck happened to this place?_' he thought, passing laughing children and content elders. '_It's warm and breezy!_' he thought in astonishment. the remaining five strode in, down the main path, towards the Kazekage's building.

They continued strolling down and finally reached the main doors. As they entered, the stench of blood still drenched the hall. It sent chills up Chouji's spine. He hadn't really seen anything of Gaara except for him pulverizing Lee and howling in pain at the sight of his own blood. He assumed that Gaara had killed the attempted assassin in this hall. One of the flustered assistants scrambled up in front of them and said, "R-right up the left staircase! Last door on the- on the right!"

He then scuttled back to his post behind a desk as the Leaf shinobi started in the given directions. Hinata hurried up in order to get out of the creepy hall, but when she arrived at the top she screeched and flung backwards. A floating eyeball followed her down. She flew into Naruto, causing both of them to blush darkly because of their previous encounter.

The eyeball turned to the left, then back to the right, and then dissipated into sand. Hinata was breathing heavily from her shock.

"Hello."

The six turned almost in check towards the top of the flight. There stood Gaara, his face and figure dark because of the light behind him. "K-konnichiwa, Gaara-sama," said Shikamaru quietly but respectively, bowing his head. The lines of anger on Gaara's face deepened. "Follow me," he said in a low, striking tone.

He turned quickly and walked down the hall to his office, his black cloak flowing ominously behind him. The six, after overcoming their fear, followed him down the hall. He stopped unexpectedly, causing Shikamaru to bump into him. Gaara turned his head slowly to look at Shikamaru. "M-my apologies, Gaara-sama," he said, raising his hands defensively and backing up.

"Sama, huh?" a voice taunted from in front of Gaara. Shikamaru poked his head out so that he could see who was talking, though he thought he recognized the voice. '_Oh, damn..._' he thought. There, standing in front of him, was a blonde-headed girl with four pigtails. '_Her_.' She was wearing her long black dress with the cloth tied around her waist. She held her fan tauntingly, one eyebrow raised and a proud smirk glued to her face. "Nice to see you again, Shika-kun," She said, an aggressive grin retiring the smirk.

He couldn't help but turn slightly pink at the sound of Shika-kun. Shika was bad enough. But Shika-kun? Coming from her? He stepped out of the line and walked in front of Gaara, hands in his pockets, to face Temari. "Nice to see you too, Temari-chan," he retorted, mimicking the smirk, and walking past her towards Gaara's office. He stopped, opened the shoji, and turned to the small crowd in the hallway. "You guys coming?"

* * *

Naruto leaned, bored, against the wall to the right of the staircase that led to the second-story hallway. Hinata armed the opposite wall. It was almost sunset, almost time to go to the estate that Gaara's family owned. His stomach growled agrily, so loudly that half the people in the main hall turned to look at him. He moaned in displeasure. 

"Naruto-kun," said Hinata's hushed voice, "I b-brought some instant ramen, if y-you want it for dinner when we get t-to the estate," she tapped her fingers together as she looked hopefully at Naruto. He looked over at her with that cute little confused look, his sparkling blue eyes wide open in dumb confusion. Suddenly he seemed to accept the fact that he was having ramen for dinner, a big grin spreading across his face.

"Yes, please, Hinata-chan!" he said, very boyish, as she blushed. '_Chan..._' she thought, '_he called me Hinata-chan!_'

Suddenly there was a barrage of footsteps as Gaara, Temari and the other four descended the flight of stairs, Gaara in front. Naruto and Hinata looked up. Naruto tried to say something, but right as he opened his mouth, his stomach growled extraordinarily loud. He closed his mouth and looked down at his stomach. "Well..." he said, pointing at his abdomen, "it spoke for me."

* * *

Naruto slurped his noodles loudly, but surprisingly neatly. Temari and Gaara were stuck with steamed rice and all-natural spring rolls (Gaara received a message from the petitioners saying even egg rolls were off the list) and Hinata was also eating some instant ramen. Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino were all eating some kind of meat with rice and a soup on the side. Sakura, however, was eating a leafy salad with some egg rolls on the side. She was also eating some plain steamed rice in pity of Temari and Gaara.

There was only one weird thing. Kankuro was nowhere to be seen at 8:00 at night. Usually he was worn out from the day's work, whatever the heck he did all day, and was sound asleep in his room by 9:00 or so. But lately, he'd been waking up unnaturally late and coming home unnaturally late. '_Oh, well,_' thought Temari, '_His loss._'

Gaara stood, already finished with his meal, and looked at the seven people below him. "Temari, assign Shikamaru-kun, Naruto-kun and Chouji-kun-- '_How the heck does he know my name??_'-- rooms in your quater of the house. I'll take care of Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan and Ino-chan's-- '_How the heck does he know my name??_'-- lodgings." He turned and started walking to the left of the main entrance to the house.

He got to the first room, stopped, and placed his finger on the door. "My room," he said. He continued to the second room. "Kankuro's room," he said. He placed his hand on the third door. "Ino-chan, this can be your room while you stay here. It has an entrance to the fourth room, as long as both occupants agree to unlock it." He strode on to the fourth door. "Sakura-chan," he said, putting his hand on the door, "this will be your room. It has a door connecting Ino-chan's room to yours." He turned around towards them. "And Hinata-chan," he said, walking over to his room, "the fifth room will be yours." At that, he went into his room.

Temari looked at the three boys she was in charge of. "Well," she said, "I guess Shikamaru can have the second room over there--" she pointed to the right hallway-- "Naruto can have the third one, and Chouji can have the fourth. Mine is the first, of course," she said, taking a large bite of rice.

Finally, everyone was done with their dinner. The girls memorized their rooms and retreated to them immidiately. But the boys, with an exception of Shikamaru, forgot which rooms they'd been assigned, and had to be told again. Before the boys went into their rooms, however, Temari told them about the doors in the individual rooms. "I have one to Shikamaru's room, and Chouji and Naruto have one connecting theirs," she said, her head poked out of her door, "It happens every-other room."

"Goodnight!" yelled Naruto after his door was shut.

The a loud thud and 'Shut up!' left the occupants to wonder what punishment Chouji had decided to use on Naruto.

* * *

_Hope ya liked it! Until next time,_

_-The Imaginator_


	6. The Heat is On

_w00t! I have seven whole reviews! Please, people review and help my story get better!_

_Gaara: This psycho doesn't own any of us, you know that, right?_

_Me: O... M... G... It's Gaara... FANGIRL no JUTSU!_

_Gaara: Kyaaah!  
_

* * *

There was a soft knock. '_What is that?_' a groggy girl thought. It happened again. She looked around, sitting up in her bed. It was pitch black outside, the winds of Sunagakure rattling her windows. She heard a light tapping coming from a door.

"Temari," someone whispered, "Are you awake?" She looked around and realized it was the door connecting her room to Shikamaru's. She stared, shocked, at the rattling doorknob. "Temari?" the voice whispered again. "Please open the door if you're awake."

She whispered back, "Who is that? And yes, I'm awake," she crept closer to the door. The person on the other side of the door blushed. He hadn't expected her to actually wake up. '_She's a really light sleeper..._' he thought, twiddling his thumbs. "Hello?" she whispered, pressing her ear up to the door and knocking very softly. "Who is it?"

He blushed again. "It's... well," he was stumbling over his own words. "Unlock the door," he whispered, finally deciding his plan. "Who is it?" she persisted, "I'm not going to unless you tell me what your name is." He could hear her hand delicately slide down the doorframe.

'_Damn it, why am I such a hopeless romantic like my dad?_'

"Uh... Temari, please open the door? It's hard enough for me to do this, I didn't actually intend for you to wake up..." he pleaded. He thumped his forehead. '_You idiot... you were begging her to wake up, and now you're saying you didn't want her to? And you call yourself a genius..._'

"Is this Shikamaru? It is his room, after all... Of course it is, Shikamaru, just say it's you and I'll open the door," she said, pressing her tired face against the door. He blushed much darker, though it wasn't visible in the dark, and thought '_You damn idiot! Of course she's gonna wake up! And now, you've even forgotten that you're in your own room!_' He hit his forehead. "Yeah... it's-it's me," he whispered back.

He heard a chuckle come from the other side of the door. "Why didn't you just say so?" she whispered. The rustling of her clothes and the noise of a deadbolt told him she actually had unlocked the door. He rose, he heart thudding out of his chest. He turned the deadbolt, thinking, '_Okay, pull yourself together, you know what you're going to do, keep the plan together, come on, Shikamaru!_' He opened the door gently and saw her standing there, hand on hip, hair flowing down to her shoulderblades, in her loose-fitting pajama shirt and short-shorts.

"So what exactly did want-- mmmph!" she started, but Shikamaru had cut her off, grabbing her neck and diving in for a kiss. Temari couldn't exactly figure out what to do. She had definitely thought, positively, about this happening some day, but caught in the moment, she didn't know what to do. Finally she made up her mind.

She melted under the warm embrace of his lips against hers and firmly drew him in, her arms around his waist. So there they were standing, in the middle of the night, sharing the feelings of years passed all on that one night. Finally, Temari gently drew back her head, Shikamaru mimicking her behavior. She was burning with embarassment, and knew he was too, but they were both just too thick-skulled and proud to have let this happen before, despite their obvious feelings.

"I-I'm sorry," Shikamaru whispered, withdrawing himself from Temari's embrace. He placed his hand over his face in indignity and turned back towards his room. She reached out and grabbed his wrist, turning him around.

"I forgive you," she said softly, pulling him in for another kiss. Their lips once again met, the warmth of the other engulfing them, making Temari's prideful shell crumble. This time, Shikamaru didn't draw back in embarassment, but moved forward, lifting Temari off her feet. He pushed her back up against the wall, letting go of her lips, making sure he wasn't coming on too strong.

She just shifted under his weight and buried her face in his chest (after all, he is quite a few inches taller than her.), wrapping her arms around him. He rest his head atop hers, thinking, '_What am I doing? I do love her, but... it's night, what if we're just confused because we're so tired?_' At that moment, the exact thing ran through Temari's mind.

"Shikamaru-kun?" she whispered delicately. Her sugar-coated voice sent chills (good chills) up his spine. "Yes?" he said back, his voice extremely soft. "Do you... well... do you really feel so strongly for me?" he could feel her hands start to fiddle behind his back. "I feel this strongly about you," she whispered, "I have for a long time. But... are you sure, well, sure we should try "us"?"

His eyelids drooped in thought. "I..." he started, sighing into her hair, "I don't know." He drew back, looking at her eyes. She was looking down. He gently placed his hand on her chin and lifted her head up, their eyes meeting. "I think so."

He kissed her once again, only now he had an energy, a love behind it. It was passionate, she could feel. She returned the passion and pressed herself firmly against his figure. He grasped her around her delicate waist, never even realizing her womanly shape until now. '_She has to be twenty by now... what am I doing?_' he thought again, but for some reason, couldn't find himself to break their kiss. He really did love her. But he was only eighteen... what would he do if they ended up together? '_That doesn't matter,_' he thought to himself, '_I love her, and age isn't gonna change that._'

He then pulled her back, laying her gently down on her bed, withdrawing slowly from their kiss. "Good night," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. He gently released her and turned, walking out of the doorway, back to his room. Just as he was about to close the door-- "Wait," she said, a little louder than a whisper. He peeked back into her room. She got up and walked over to him. "Can I sleep in your bed? Not for anything to do with us, it's just that... well..." she was twiddling her thumbs, blushing girlishly.

"Yes?" he asked softly, putting his hand on her head. She blushed darker. "Well, you see.." she put her face in her hands. "I'm still... well... kinda afraid... afraid of the... the dark... a little. And when we were hugging, it made me feel really safe, so when you left, it's... it's too hard to sleep." A playful grin couldn't contain itself from prancing onto Shikamaru's face.

"Sure," he said, opening the door wide enough for her to come in. She scurried over to his bed, jumping under the covers. He sauntered over to the bed and slid in, kissing her on the forehead. "Sweet dreams," he whispered, hugging her and closing his eyes.

* * *

_Ooooh romance!! x3 Well, I don't know about you guys, but when I was writing this, it made me feel all fluffy and stuff, so, hope ya'll like it! Until next time,_

_-The Imaginator_


	7. Dramafest

_Hey guys, it occured to me that the house's layout might be a bit unclear. If there was any confusion, I'm sorry. But if you walk in the front door, there's a big room. Near the back there's a bar/counter thing that seperates the kitchen from the dining and living rooms, which are merged. Then, at the back, there are two hallways; one on the left and one on the right. The left one is where Gaara and Kankuro's rooms are. The right is Temari's. There are twelve rooms in each hallway, six on each side. This is entirely made up by me, whether it's really like that or not I don't know.  
_

_But guys, if no one reviews soon, I'll basically have one review per chapter. And if you people don't start reviewing, I'm just gonna stop writing on this story until someone finds interest in it. When no one reviews, I lack motivation. It feels like I'm writing for myself, which I'm not.  
_

_Gaara: She still doesn't own us._

_Me: No, I don't. -pats Gaara's head-_

* * *

"Temari-san? Are you awake?" Ino knocked on Temari's door. She paused for a response, but there was no answer. '_Must still be asleep_,' she thought, shrugging. She then walked over to Shikamaru's door and knocked a couple of times. "Shikamaru? Are you awake yet, you lazy ass?" She waited, then knocked again. Shikamaru stirred slightly on the other side of the door. 

He opened his eyes and saw Temari cuddled against his chest. At first it shocked him, but then the night's events came flooding into his head. He smiled, closing his eyes and pulling Temari in closer. She nestled in against him and smiled subconsiously. He blushed and rest his head against hers.

Ino put her ear to his door and tried to hear if he was faking sleeping to escape work. She didn't hear anything, so she turned back to the main room where everyone else except for Hinata was eating breakfast. She, too, was still resting. Naruto yawned squeakily and stretched, just finished with his ramen. Yes, he had ramen even for breakfast. He stood up, tossing the empty cup into the trash.

He looked over to the girls' hallway. "I'm gonna go see if Hinata-chan is up yet," he said, turning to the five before him, "'Kay?" A few nodded as he turned and reached the fifth door. He slid it open and saw Hinata lying asleep in her bed. He walked over to her and softly sat on the edge of her bed. Everyone was sleeping in today or staying in their pajamas because it was Saturday. Usually they only got Sunday off, but since Gaara was in danger, they decided staying home and sending private messengers on Saturday, too, would be best.

Naruto was in a black shirt with the swirly red drop on it and had on blue plaid flannel pajama pants. Hinata was on her back, her head tilted to the left, facing upwards but in the opposite direction of Naruto's. He let his eyelids relax, for he was very tired, and Hinata's soft, creamy complexion was easy on the eyes.

Suddenly it felt like weights were on his eyelids and they began drooping shut. "So... tired..." He mumbled, slowly leaning his head down. He laid his face smack in-between her boobs, causing her to wake. She looked up drowsily and saw Naruto's face planted in her chest. Her eyes went wide and she screamed, making Naruto jump in fright. He fell off the bed with a 'Dattebayou!' and hit the floor. Hinata sat up quickly in her bed.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, are you all right??" she said, her face red with embarassment. He wobbled up with a wood mark on his face and managed, "Yeaah..." before falling head-first over Hinata's shoulder. She squealed again and about this time Chouji had come to investigate the scream's purpose.

"Is everyone okay? I heard some one scream--" he started, but then saw Naruto collapsed on Hinata, who was maroon in the face out of embarassment, shivering. All she had on was a white tanktop and shorts and she felt very exposed, and cold at that, which is why she was shivering. Naruto was blabbing stupidly over Hinata's shouler, and then he slid down, his face meeting her breasts once again, and then continued sliding down until he was very up-close and personal with the floor again.

"I'll just go now..." Chouji said very slowly, withdrawing back into the hallway, "I think you two might need some time alone..." Hinata's blush had subdued a bit, but when Chouji said that, she darkened again.

Naruto sat up groggily, holding his head. "Whoa..." he said, shaking his head furiously. "I think I ate something wierd..." he mumbled, rising. He quickly sat on the edge of the bed to avoid another encounter with Hinata's boobs or the floor. He put his arm around her shoulders because he was wobbling. She blushed again, resting her hands on his arms to keep him sturdy.

He blinked a couple of times and looked over to Hinata. Then seeing her red and realizing the many places his face had traveled in the past few minutes, he turned dark red, too. "Oh, man, Hinata-chan, I'm really _really_ sorry!" He said, grabbing his face.

"I-it's okay, Naruto-kun," she replied, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I know-- w-well, I hope-- you didn't mean to, it's o-okay." She smiled and closed her eyes as Naruto slowly let go of his face and looked at her. He suddenly burst out laughing. It surprised Hinata and caught her off-guard for a second.

Right then he snatched her up in his arms, hugging her tight around the waist, and said, "Man, Hinata-chan, you're the coolest person ever!" He kept chortling as Hinata began turning darker and darker shades of red. Finally she laughed, too, though much quieter, and lightly placed her arms around him.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Ino was sitting on the couch, waiting for Shikamaru and Temari to wake up. She got up and walked down the hall to Hinata's room because Chouji hadn't said a word about the situation except "No one's hurt." She reached the door and looked in. By now, they had stopped laughing and just sat there, hugging.

'_Wow, Hinata's really come out of her shell for Naruto_,' she thought, smiling. '_They look really cozy_,' the thought passed through her mind as she looked again at the two, just embracing one another and cuddling. She then decided to say something. "Hey, you two," she said, as their attention snapped to her. Naruto quickly turned his head around, though not letting go of Hinata, while Hinata, once again, resumed her red face.

"You should go out together, you're a really cute couple. And plus," she said, appropriately pausing for both Naruto and Hinata to absorb her words, "you keep on hugging and snuggling and all that stuff." She shrugged, a coy smile sliding onto her face. "It's like you're already dating."

She then turned and walked out of the room. She laughed to herself, and decided to wake Shikamaru up, in hopes it would end up like Naruto and Hinata's encounter. Naruto looked back at Hinata's face, which was stuck in an expression of shock and embarassment. He smiled and said, "Sure!" hugging her tight once again.

As Ino crossed the room, from the left hallway to the right, she stated quite loudly, "Naruto and Hinata are dating, congratulate them." There were many confused expressions as she continued across the company. Finally she got to Shikamaru's door and opened it. "Shikamaru, time to wake-- WHAT?!"

Her mind was flooded with anger and confusion and sadness. Shikamaru was lying here asleep with Temari! They both snapped to conciousness, very frightened by the sudden intrusion on their cornucopia. '_Ugh! What a slut!_' she thought, slamming the door and stomping furiously back to the main room. She sat back down on the couch, with force, and brooded and steamed for several minutes before she was finally calm enough to think.

The first phase was, of course, anger. She was still stuck, very deeply, in this stage, but she was willling to reason with herself. Thus introducing the second stage: denial. '_That couldn't've happened, I mean, come on, Temari and Shikamaru haven't even acted like they were interested in each other before! Well, there was that time when.. no, see, that's not right!!_'

Her thoughts were overwhelming, and suddenly she realized all the times they _had_ flirted. She then fell victim to the third stage: depression. She began rummaging through memories of times Shikamaru and Temari had been in the same place. Every single time, they teased each other or done something of the sort.

Flirting.

She suddenly began to whimper. She threw her head back and started to cry, bawling and wailing pitifully, quite an intruiging show for all of the ninja surrounding her who had no idea what was wrong. Plus, it was just so unlike Ino to burst out in tears in front of a crowd. Though she was a drama queen, she never made herself look weak.

Of course, she had completely forgotten about her audience, and when she put her head back into it's meant position, she saw all eyes resting on her. She looked around and became furious again. "What are you looking at?!" she shouted, mainly to Sakura, who was wide-eyed in confusion. Every single person averted their eyes back to their previous distraction.

Everyone except Gaara. He continued to stare straight at her and she continued to glare right back at him. He didn't like being told what to do, especially from a stranger. He stood. She did, too. They then walked forward, meeting nose-to nose. Their glares were so intense, it could've started a fire. They just continued to glower at each other, as they became the center of attention again.

At that moment Naruto and Hinata came out of the hallway. Then Naruto spoke up, as he was the only one who was stupid enough to interrupt this face-off. "Oi, what's going on in here, 'ttebayou?"

"SHUT UP!" came the response of both Gaara and Ino. They then set their firey glares on Naruto, who raised his hands defensively.

"Hey, hey, calm down, guys. I'm just gonna walk away... slowly..." He began to back up, Hinata cowering behind him, and they retreated back to her room. Gaara and Ino then resumed their staring contest. Their foreheads were now pressed against the other's, pushing hard to win this battle.

Sakura chuckled to herself. '_They look like a couple of big-horn sheep fighting over something_,' she thought, an amusing picture of two sheep resembling Gaara and Ino headbutting.

Suddenly, someone smacked Gaara in the back of the head, causing him to lock lips with Ino. Ino seemed to explode with disgust and flung herself backwards away from Gaara, who was wide-eyed in shock, frozen. He turned his head, and there stood Temari, the only person who could strike Gaara and not get killed.

"TEMARI!" Gaara bellowed, his face a furious shade of maroon. He had never wanted to have anything to do with romance, and if he had to, he sure wasn't planning on kissing anybody until his wedding day. And here he was, this egomaniacal blonde his first kiss, all because his sister decided to go and hit him in the back of the head.

He was huffing, tensed all over, still red in the face, now boring at his sister with deadly intent. Ino was lying on her back, on the ground, a heavy blush on her face. She panted with bated breath, thinking, '_This woman has caused all the troubles I'll ever need! She stole Shikamaru, made me cry in front of everyone, and now made me kiss her STUPID brother!_'

Shikamaru had just witnessed the entire scene from the doorway of the right wing, from the point of Ino crying up until now. It was then he decided he would have to evacuate to his room if he ever wanted to see the light of day again.

* * *

_Well, I am quite surprised with the outcome of this chapter! I had no intention whatsoever on half of it! I'll have to have someone read over it and make sure I did okay! Nevertheless, I am satisfied. And have no fear, it is NOT going to end up with Gaara and Ino together. That's grody. :)  
_

_Aijou ken enman be motte omaesan!_

_-The Imaginator_


	8. Star Light, Star Bright

_I would like to thank otakucraze for my 12th review! Thank you!_

_I'm actually quite disappointed and discouraged at the number of reviews I've gotten from this story. Especially after that 7th chapter. But! Otakucraze has kicked me in the lazy butt and given me enough energy to write the 8th chapter. And who knows, I may even write the 9th... that all depends on your participation!_

_Gaara: I never kissed Ino. Panda-chan made that up. NO OWN._

_Me (or now Panda-chan): What he said._

* * *

Ino sat on the edge of her bed, quite discouraged. When she was little, she liked Sasuke-- no, she loved him. Or at least she'd thought, back then. So she came right out and gave him affection and praise. 

Failure.

So now, Shikamaru comes in as a new target. Now Ino wasn't stupid, or immature (to a fair degree) anymore, so she decided hiding her complete feelings would be best this time.

Failure.

It seemed no matter how hard she tried, even with her good looks and charm, she could never get a lasting relationship. Well, a relationship, period.

She rest her face in her palms, gently rolling her thumbs along her temples, soothing the pain coming on in her head. She looked through the window at the night sky, seeing scattered specks of light, many stars blocked out by the dusty atmosphere. She let her weary soul droop even more, and lay on her back.

She stared at the blank gray ceiling, hoping that somehow wishing could heal her heart and get her the man she loved.

Shikamaru, of course.

'_I just wish he'd give me a chance. Actually, I wish he would love me back_. _Even a hug would suffice_.' she sighed and rolled over.

Her eyes sprang open as a light tapping emitted from her door. She bolted upright. '_Maybe all this wishing will pay off_,' she thought, her heart pounding in her throat as she walked to the door, reaching for the handle...

She slid the shoji open, anxiously awaiting her prince charming.

"Hey, Ino,"

Her heart thudded to the floor, rolled off the highly elevated structure and splattered in the street.

"Oh... h-hey, Chouji," she breathed, closing her eyes and slumping against the door frame, "What's up?"

She looked back up at his eyes and found he was gazed intently at her, a serious expression on his face. It was actually quite a shocking change from his usually sweet disposition.

"May I...?" he questioned, waving his hand, motioning him entering the room. Ino goggled at him for a moment and then came to a realization of his request. "Oh, yeah," she said, stepping back and fully sliding the door open.

He nodded his head with respect and walked in as she turned around and slid it near shut, turning up the lights so that they could see relatively well.

Chouji was simply wearing a bathrobe-like coat over flannel pajama pants, and his hair, surprisingly, was tied back loosely. As for Ino, she was wearing a long tank-top with some pajama shorts that looked like they were meant for playing volleyball in.

He politely remained standing, his hands behind his back, as Ino took her seat on the edge of her bed. "So, like I said," she looked back over at him, "what's up?"

His face softened sadly and he averted his eyes for a split-second before looking back at her. "Ino," he said delicately, "what's wrong?"

She looked surprised.

'_Of course_," she thought, smiling, lowering her head and closing her eyes, '_Chouji couldn't not worry_.'

She raised her head again, still smiling, and replied, "Oh, it's nothing Chouji,"

"Really." She opened her eyes. "You shouldn't worry yourself about it."

Chouji wasn't convinced.

"Ino," he said, more sternly this time, "I know there's something wrong." He frowned. "And I can't help but worry myself about it, you're my teammate."

Her smile faded, though her face wasn't completely relaxed quite yet. She sighed, her features now becoming not only relaxed, but saddened. She looked back at him, straight into his eyes.

"Yeah," she said, her eyes burning, wanting to cry again, "you're right. There is something wrong." Her chin quivered, and Chouji could tell, even in the dim light, that she was choking back her tears.

"It's okay," he said softly. She looked confused.

'_I haven't told him what's wrong yet_,' she thought, the tears filling her eyes because of the lack of resistance.

"Wh... what?" she asked, tilting her head ever-so slightly to the left. "What's okay?"

He smiled at her.

"It's okay..." he said, pausing to breathe, "if you want to cry, Ino."

She smiled even wider as large, wet tears rolled down her face. She sniffled and furiously rubbed her arm across her eyes and nose, reaching for some tissues she had on a small bedside table. She blew her nose loudly, sniffling and shotting a bulls-eye into the wastebasket.

She then kept her head down a bit to avoid the embarrassment that would still fester in her if Chouji saw her tear-blotted face.

Suddenly, there was a warmth throughout her entire torso, a soft, loving warmth that engulfed her, with a scent of a fresh breeze and cinnamon alongside. She suddenly wrapped her arms in front of her, as if trying to capture the heat, and strange as it was, she succeeded.

She opened her eyes and realized that Chouji had embraced her as she was lifting her head. The feeling then spread throughout her entire body as she squeezed him back tight. They sat there for a few seconds when small sobs began emitting from Ino again, and Chouji stroked her long hair, patting her on the back every so often.

He still didn't have the slightest clue what was wrong, but he had taken a gander and come to and agreement with himself that it had something to do with Shikamaru.

He then put one arm under her knees and picked her up, much to her surprise, and set her closer to the backboard of the bed, and he took a seat next to her. She was amazed at how he had done it with never really breaking the embrace, as she was _still_ hugging him.

He then let go of her, pulling back slightly as the tears still stained Ino's face. She sniffled again, and Chouji smiled at her as she got over the events that had just passed.

He then looked back at her with his serious eyes. "So," he said softly, breaking the silence, "what exactly is wrong?"

Ino closed her eyes and sighed, her head drooping. She lifted her eyelids slowly, and then spoke quietly. "Shikamaru..." she breathed. Chouji had a strange sinking feeling, though he didn't let it surface, and continued listening attentively to Ino.

"He..." she continued, very hesitant, "Well... when I went to wake him up, he was..." she paused, "Well, Temari was asleep next to him..." her eyes dashed away to the floor as an expression of shock spread on Chouji's face. He couldn't even imagine, and frankly didn't want to, why or how they had ended up like that.

He shook it off, looking back at Ino. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?" he asked, and Ino looked back at him. "I-" she started, but her own thoughts cut her off.

'_I can't tell him! I can't tell anybody! But... Shikamaru probably figured it out by now... that damn genius..._' she bit her lower lip in anger and Chouji could tell she was thinking. He sat patiently, waiting for her to speak.

'_Oh, to hell with it_,' she thought.

"Well, you probably know by now, but.." she sighed and then raised her head high, "I like Shikamaru, and I was too upset by it to think..." Chouji was slightly surprised that Ino had come out and told him, but he nodded and sat equally tall.

"Until now, that is..." she slipped in quietly, and somehow Chouji felt a strange sense of contentment, as if helping her express her feelings made him a better person. Well, it did. But to him, it was if he was supposed to do it, not only it was good to, it was as if it were his duty.

She had averted her eyes to the floor again, and suddenly she felt a gentle brush under her jaw lifting her head, and Chouji now had her full attention.

"Ino," he said, grabbing her hand and lifting it slightly above the surface of the bed, "I think you need some fresh air."

She was confused for a split second, but before she could even start working things out in her head, he had snatched her up and was now headed out the door. He grabbed a blanket he'd left on the couch, covering her, and gently stepped outside.

Luckily, the day's calm condition continued into the night, so it wasn't nearly as windy or cold as Chouji had expected. Ino's shorts, however, weren't very warm at all, so she was clinging to Chouji, shivering uncontrollably. He took note on this and wrapped the excess blanket around the bottom of her legs, as that is where the breeze was getting to her.

She squirmed a bit to get comfortable, but soon, the warmth of the blanket and Chouji and also the cool, refreshing air of Sunagakure was lulling her to sleep. More tears began to run down her face, and Chouji brushed the hair out of her eyes as he carried her.

Little did the duet know that this was about the time of night that Gaara took perch atop the roof of his mansion. He usually had some kind of herbal tea, but tonight he had a bottle of sake. He took a small sip, as he did not plan on finishing it, and then began to scan the streets.

The two leaf-nin below caught his eye and he tilted his head in surprise. "Hmm..." he said to himself, closing his eyes and raising his index and middle fingers to his brow. A flurry of sand came before him, adopting the shape of an eyeball. It floated down the several stories and hovered a reasonable distance away from Ino and Chouji.

Chouji didn't detect it, as he was gazing at Ino, still wondering why he felt so sad but complete at the same time. Ino, of course, didn't notice, as she had her eyes closed and her head was buried in the blanket against Chouji's chest. She lifted her head, rubbing against him a little, snuggling as a cat would.

Chouji sighed and lifted her slightly, as she had slipped a little, and then looked at the starry sky. The tiny burning balls of gas gleamed happily and carelessly back at him. He smiled and stroked Ino's hair some more, his gaze returning to her. She had fallen asleep again, and gently nestled her head farther into the blanket.

His face softened longingly, and he at last realized he couldn't try to stop his attraction any longer. He accepted it. Of course, being the gentleman he was, he didn't do anything differently, but he just did it for a different reason now. He did it to earn her affection.

He looked back at the sky as his pace slowed down and looked at the different tints and sizes of all the little wishes. Some were blue, some were firey red, and others were just white. There were dull ones and exceptionally bright ones, and then the plain old ones that did nothing to stick out.

He then layed his eyes on the biggest, brightest, most glamorous star in the whole sky. He leaned his head down to Ino's ear and whispered, "I wish on that star for you."

She stirred lightly and turned her head ever-so slightly so that Chouji's lips were placed on her cheek. His face turned a delicate shade of pink, an he smiled, picking up his pace and turning back in the direction of the mansion.

Gaara opened his eyes and the small eyeball dissipated into sand, falling hopelessly to the ground, mixing in with all the other sand piled up in the streets. He downed the rest of the bottle, abandoning his plan to stay sober, and tossed it against the shallow wall of the roof, causing it to shatter in several peices.

Chouji leaned down, careful not to wake Ino, as he set her on her bed. He stood at her bedside for a few seconds before smiling, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, and walking out the door.

Ino smiled and hugged her pillow. She hadn't been asleep.

* * *

_Well, hope all you ChouIno fans out there liked it! I sure did :3_

_Until next time,_

_The Imaginator_


	9. Confrontations of Fury and Love

_Jeez... you people are almost incapable of reviewing. I really do feel like I'm writing for nothing, even though my sister rally likes it. I can write for her any time I want._

_So, soon enough I'll get too lazy to post them if you people don't review. Cause I know people are reading! But when no one reviews, it feels like they just think it's okay. Or bad._

_Gaara: No own._

_Kishimoto: Damn straight._

* * *

Gaara leaned against the door leading to the staircase, the world before him becoming more and more distorted and... rather blurry. Suddenly a rising happiness overwhelmed him and he began giggling gleefully, letting his arms relax from the previous crossed position. He flimsily revolved, opening the door and prancing down the first flight. 

He opened the door to the main room, his mood whipping in a different direction. '_That Ino bitch kissed another guy_,' he thought, squinting his saggy eyes and hiccuping. He stumbled forward (he was at the end of the east hall where Temari and all the male leaf-nin sleep) and leaned dangerously hard against the right wall.

He hiccupped again and continued swaggering to the west hall (where he and the others sleep) and then ran into his door with a loud thud. He strained for a moment and then reached out for the handle. "Nn..." he grunted, fumbling stupidly for the slot. "Stay still you damn door!" he yelled, his hands scraping around for the handle.

Finally he gave up on that and continued tripping down the hall. He put his hands on the next door, thinking '_Kankurou's room_..._ then the next one is_...' He squinted his eyes. "Ino."

He stopped and stood, wobbling in front of Ino's door. He narrowed his eyes and they continued drooping shut and opening back wide again until he couldn't focus hardly at all. "Hnn..." he mumbled, reaching out for the shoji handle. He missed a few times but finally caught hold of it.

He smirked cruelly and slammed the shoji open, the sliding door's frame cracking. Ino bolted upright to see a very thin figure standing darkly in the doorway. He chuckled, the low laugh rumbling throughout her, sending shivers up her spine. She stood up defensively, not knowing who the intruder was.

"W-who are you?" she said shrilly, the fear apparent in her voice. He only chuckled louder.

"Do you not..." he hiccupped, "know?" His voice was raspy and clung dreadfully to the air. Ino's eyes widened and she faltered.

"Gaara?" she asked wearily, in a hushed voice. He laughed loudly and maniacally, finally stepping into the blue moonlight.

"Bingo!" he said, rather loudly, and stumbled forward, grabbing hold of Ino's wrists. "H-hey!" she protested weakly, her small hands writing under his death grip. "Let go of me!"

He laughed again darkly and hiccupped. "No." He then twisted her wrists painfully, forcing her arms abover her head, and pushed her to the wall, knocking the breath out of her. She cried out in pain and then coughed, trying to catch her breath again.

He leaned his face forward until there was barely any room left between the two. He chuckled again, his breath drenched with the smell of alcohol, and pushed Ino harder to the wall.

"Don't think I didn't see you with that.." he hiccupped, "Chouji guy," his breath was raspy and strained, and he heaved with every breath, putting more and more pressure on Ino each time.

"And what if you did?" she yelled in his face, writhing viciously in his grip. He mumbled something under his breath that sounded like "bitch", but Ino couldn't be sure.

"Not after," he hiccupped, "not after you kissed me." he pushed her wrists forcefully against the wall, causing her to cry out. He glared at her eyes, shut tight and waited for her to look at him. She panted painfully, as he was uncomfortably close and crushing her against the wall.

She finally opened her eyes reluctantly, barely squinting at Gaara. He smirked in accomplishment and then pushed forward his head, craning his neck down and forcefully kissed her. She grunted in protest but couldn't do anything with him so powerful.

She was having trouble breathing, as he was staying like this for an awful long time, and didn't show signs of stopping. She squirmed for breath and he finally broke it. He smiled evilly as she stood before him, gasping for breath and trying to free herself, with no success of course.

"Don't you ever..." he whispered threateningly, "think of doing anything again." he laughed rackingly and put his mouth by Ino's ear. "Because... you belong to me."

She shook her head, striking Gaara's cheekbone with her own, and caused him to release one of her wrists to rub his face. She used her free hand to slap the other cheek and he let her go, yelling loudly in pain. She fell on her knees to get away, scrambling to get out of the room and somewhere safe.

Just as she reached the still ajar shoji, he clamped down on her right wrist. "Oh no you don't," he growled, flinging her around powerfully, slamming her into the opposite wall. She screamed in pain at the contact, sitting pitifully, slumped against the wall.

He staggered over to her and straddled her, pinning her wrists again to the wall and once again, kissed her with force. Her eyes were now brimmed with tears, and she was weakly resisting him.

It was all she could do.

He realized how weak she was and, being intoxicated, took advantage of the situation. He put his tongue in her mouth, and she winced in disgust as he tormented her, rolling her tongue around and running his tongue along her teeth and the roof of her mouth. She may not have been able to push him away, but she would do everything she could to stop him.

She bit down hard on his tongue and he yelped in pain, tasting the blood she had drawn. He glowered evilly at her (and it was returned) and then spoke up, an evil smirk plastered on his face.

"So you think you can get rid of me," hiccup, "that easily?" he said loudly, his vision still blurred. He used his body weight to push against her and he slammed her into the wall.

He laughed when she squeaked, too out of breath to yell. He then put his head around her shoulder and bit the side of her neck, as a vampire would and began to...

"What--? Are you trying to--?" she said, disgustedly as he laughed from behind her head. "Are you trying to give me a hickey?!" he burst out laughing but continued to lick and nurse on the back of her neck, making Ino shudder in revoltion.

It was then she realized her position. He was straddling her. A thought burst into her head, and she chuckled just as evilly as Gaara had earlier. This made him falter for a moment, but he soon continued his work.

She then drew back her leg as far as it would go and swung it forward in a kick as hard as she possibly could. Gaara choked out in pain and then screeched as he found her shin practically embedded in-between his legs. He coughed and sputtered for a moment and then passed out on top of Ino.

She yelped and scrambled out from under him, crawling, frightened, under her covers. She watched him lie on the floor for a moment and he began to snore. She faltered nervously, and then decided that her room probably wasn't the safest place to sleep.

She began to step out of her bed when she heard someone call her name from the doorway. She looked and realized it was Chouji. "Chouji!" She ran to him, practically glomping him and clinging on tight.

"Uhh... H-hi Ino," he said, confused, "I just heard a lot of noise from over here after I got up for a snack, it sounded like a scream, so I came to see if you were okay." He again began stroking her hair as she cuddled against him.

"Now I am, but..." she sighed, "Well, I think Gaara's drunk," she said simply, letting go and turning, pointing to the passed out man on her bedroom floor. "G-Gaara!" Chouji said, running over to him and putting his hand on the sleeping man's back.

"He's fine," she said simply, and Chouji looked back up at her. "A-are you sure? What happened?" Ino pouted out her lower lip.

"He basically molested me," she said, turning her head one way, pointing to her neck where he tried to give her a hickey. "Is there anything there?"

Chouji was still gaping and looking at back and forth from Gaara to Ino when she asked this, but he collected his wits and stood up, inspecting the bare spot on her neck. There was a slight pink tint. "Yeah..." he said softly, brushing it with two fingers. "I-is that a--"

"Hickey, yes," she interrupted, once again hugging Chouji. "He's a real prick when he's drunk," she spat at the unconcious body in the middle of the room, a finger pointing beneath her words.

Chouji subconciously began to stroke her hair again, thinking about what Gaara could have done. He cringed at the thought. "So... you're okay, right?" he questioned, a bit dazed at the information.

_'Gaara gave her a hickey?_' He snapped out of his daze and then picked Ino up again. "Well," he said, walking out of her room, "you can't sleep in there."

She smiled and nodded, sticking her tongue out at Gaara over Chouji's shoulder as he walked out. He walked into his room and placed her on the bed. "You sleep here," he said, tucking the covers over her. "I'll go sleep on the couch in the living room." He smiled and turned, walking out the door.

"Wait--" she called from behind him, and he immediately turned back around. "Yes?" he said, blinking attentively.

"Well..." she said, her mind churning for an exuse to keep him in the room. "H-he'll know I'm in your room if he sees you on the couch, and he'll probably break your door, too," she said this very quickly and nervously, and Chouji could tell she wasn't being completely truthful.

"And besides," she said, much more slowly, and quieter too, "He scares me," she looked down at the covers and pulled them up to her nose, as if hiding. Chouji smiled. '_She's so cute_,' he thought, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I can get a sleeping bag or mat in here, if you want," he said softly, and Ino nodded her head in response. He smiled and replied, "Okay. Be back in a sec." He got up and walked out of his room, looking for some kind of mat.

He spotted a bunch of rolled-up futon mats in an abandoned corner, and thought to himself, '_how convenient_.' He grabbed one and unrolled it, realizing that it was for an extra layer of support under a bed's sheets. '_It'll do_.'

He slid open the door, quietly stepping in, and layed his mat out on the floor. He grabbed a spare set of sheets and set them, topping off the make-shift bed with a quilt he brought. He then went back over to where Ino lay, and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm all set," he said quietly, "Anything you need before bed?" he asked, prepared to do anything from cooking to getting an extra blanket. She sat up, letting the covers slide down to her legs. "No, I think I'm good," she said quietly, turning her head to look at the wall.

It was then Chouji noticed something. There was a bruise forming on her cheek. He was shocked. He then realized her wrists had red and blue marks appearing, too. '_What the heck did Gaara do?_' he thought, looking back at some of the exposed skin of her back.

There were marks on her shoulderblades, too. He gaped for a moment, and then looked at Ino's face, she was still skimming the wall's texture, not realizing what she had just shown Chouji.

He then decided that he was going to go ahead and tell her how he felt, confront her about the bruises and ask if she was okay with him. After all, he was used to rejection.

His weight had always exiled him from the groups of children who didn't have to hang around him. So if Ino didn't accept him, it would just be another to add to his generous supply.

"Ino," he spoke up, breaking a silence that had dictated the past few minutes, "there's something I need you to know." She turned her head and looked at him, all senses at his attent.

"Well, I--"

"Hey, Chouji," she interrupted, looking spacily at the ceiling.

He sat, dumbfounded for a spell before he replied. "Yes?"

"Have you ever," she paused and looked out the window, pointing at the dust-and-star-speckled sky, "wished on a star?"

He blushed a little and his heart thumped hard. "Y-yes, I have."

"When was the last time? Was it recently?" she interrogated. It tormented Chouji's mind how ironic the conversation was.

"Yes, very recently," he said, trying his very best to sound nonchalant, his heart jumping into his throat.

"What did you wish for? I'm sure you deserve it," she said, smiling, the many tiny lights reflecting in her eyes.

His face was burning with color now, he could feel it, and started to speak, "I-I wished for... Well--"

Ino turned to face him and shushed him, delicately placing her finger on his lips. She smiled and closed her eyes. "I remember," she said quietly, stunning Chouji, who was now visibly disheveled from the nerve-racking conversation.

He was shaking and very confused at her latest response. "Y-you know?" he questioned quietly, wobbling feebly, his head spinning. She nodded lightly and then took her finger off of his lips.

"Oh, and I thought of something I'd like," she said, now turning her whole body to face him. He cocked his head in question, trying desperately, and failing, to coordinate himself.

She leaned forward and placed her lips on his, closing her eyes, and lightly placing her arms around his waist. His heart leapt, and it shocked him so much he had no idea what to do.

A frantic fued raged in his mind. He was beet red, sweating like crazy, and the sound of his heart thumping drowned out any other noises. He finally realized what was actually happening, and then made his decision.

He leaned forward, full-fledgedly kissing Ino back, surprising her. He placed one arm around her waist and the other wrapped around her delicate frame, intertwined with her platinum blonde locks, supporting her neck.

After a moment, each of them pulled back, not very far, but just enough to absorb one other's beauty, and then quickly began another kiss. This time, Ino leaned back, so that they were horizontal, and buried her face into the side of his neck.

He had returned to a healthy shade of peach, but when she did this, he blushed furiously again. He stayed frozen for a few moments before Ino hugged him tighter.

"What's wrong?" she whispered, sensing his tenseness. "I-it's nothing, really, just--" he gulped loudly, and Ino finished his thought for him. "You've never done anything like this before?"

He nodded, embarassed. '_Heck, Ino's probably done this a thousand times, and here I am, the guy, having to be taught how to kiss a girl._'

She then reached her hand up from a loose position on his lower back and planted it in his thick hair. She grabbed the thread he'd used to tie it back and pulled the loose knot. It easily gave in, his cinnamon-brown hair falling gently like a hush over a crowd.

She kissed his cheek and then snuggled against his neck again. "You know," she mentioned, "you don't _have_ to sleep on that pallet," she slid out from under him, laying next to him.

He blushed, again, and smiled weakly. "Well, I don't want to make anything akward, o-or make you feel obligated for... anything," he spilled nervously, not having even hugged someone affectionately before.

"No, it's okay, we'll just sleep," she reassured him, running her fingers through his dense hair. He gulped again loudly, and sat up. "I-I... well, okay, I guess it'll be better for my back, too, anyways," he stuttered, slipping under the covers.

"Yay!" she said quietly, hugging him. Chouji smiled, patting her back lightly. He kissed her forehead delicately and looked back out the window at the docile state of Sunagakure.

Two small purple butterflies fluttered around eachother, landing on the windowsill and grooming themselves. Chouji smiled and then closed his eyes, drifting to sleep.

* * *

_Aww... InoChou is prechuss..._

_And WOW I take back what I said at the beginning about not being able to review, because the amazing mcgabby1994 gave me FOUR reviews when you lame-os couldn't! Yes. You are a new brand of lame cereal. Lame-O's. xD_

_Until next time,_

_-The Imaginator_


	10. Apology

_Sorry for the delayed update... but... My heart is swelling with glee! Within less than 12 hours I already got two reviews on Ch 9!!! -prances girlishly-_

_ So happy! Arigato to otakucraze and mcgabby1194. And yes, you two -are- amazing!_

_ Gaara: -pokes Kishimoto- He owns us..._

_Me: -pokes Gaara plushie- If only I owned you...  
_

* * *

Gaara's eyelids painfully split, overexposing his sensitive eyes to the bright morning light. He whipped upright, groaning in agony as his head throbbed. He gripped it tightly in a desperate scramble to compress the pain. His eyes were squeezed shut, his senses lashing out at him for abusing them so the night before. 

He felt his heart skip a beat. '_Oh my God..._'

His eyes opened wide in fear. '_What did I do last night...?_'

He jolted upright, but soon regretted it. His stomach lurched within his belly, churning like a furious sea. He buckled and slumped back against the floor. The world was slipping out from under him, nausea overwhelming him.

His head lolled back like a brick of lead and made a hard impact with the floor. He yelped out in pain, causing a passing Hinata to scream. Everyone had woken up and seen Gaara zonked with his face firmly planted to the ground, a puddle of drool around his mouth. Hinata hadn't expected to see him active.

Naruto walked down the hall, hearing Hinata scream, and saw Gaara attempt to rise again.

It was pitiful.

After failing a few times on his own, Naruto sauntered over and helped him up, supporting him with one arm, while Gaara rubbed his eyes in a revolving confusion. Hinata shivered and stepped back as Naruto walked Gaara to the couch.

He plopped down, overly glad to have something to stop the world from spinning. He opened his eyes slowly in order to not fall over again, and saw a horrified Ino clinging to a pillow on the opposite couch.

His stomach lurched. He remembered something that he did had to do with her.

He asked quietly, "Ino, did I... do anything to you last night?"

She winced and drew the pillow tighter. Gaara immediately knew he had. He dropped his head, stooping in shame.

"You mean... you don't remember?" she mustered, overcoming the strange fear she held. He raised his head, looking back at her, and he stood. He carefully walked over to the couch she was sitting on, and took a seat next to her.

"No," he said quietly, "I don't." He was still scared to know what he may have done to the girl. "I was... drunk," he admitted.

Ino looked slightly dumbfounded. Though she knew he must have been to do all the things he did, she was rather shocked that he, such a tight-laced guy, the Kazekage, would go and drink himself into a stupor.

"But..." he started, an akward feeling rising over him, "What exactly... did I... do?" Ino shook her head.

"Nothing I should remember, and I'm sure you don't want to know," she said, really just trying to get herself out of such an akward situation. After all, she didn't want to have to describe his actions.

"Well.. whatever I did," he sighed, "I apologize for it greatly."

Gaara's eyes flashed to the floor for a spell but then his pitiful gaze returned to Ino's eyes, wide in fear.

"Are you really...?" She asked hesitantly, wincing at the memory of the previous night. He squirmed uncomfortably.

"Yes," he sighed, "Please excuse me if I seem rude or detatched, it's just... unusual for me." He forced a smile.

A wave of relief pulsed through Ino's body, and she grinned back. "It's okay, then," she reassured him, resting her hand on his elevated shoulder. "I know you didn't mean all that stuff."

He sat stupidly for a moment, but then proceeded to nod and smile, standing up. "Thank you," he said, bowing his head the slightest, and then turned and walked away, doing his best to walk straight and cover up the splitting headache he had.

As he proceeded to his room, Kankuro lazily stumbled out of his room, rough and looking very worn. He collided with Gaara, flopping weakly backwards. Gaara just fell on his behind, the vertigo and nausea returning.

"You idiot!" Gaara shouted once his wits had gathered. He stood up, only to find Kankuro had fallen asleep on the floor. '_Good grief_,' he thought, looking into Kankuro's room, hoping to find a reason behind his clumsiness.

Oh, he found one.

There was a charcoal shell of what appeared to be Karasu lying in the middle of the floor, amok other incinerated accesories. There was a large blue scroll layed out in front of a wooden frame; heads, screw, boards, and workshop tools lying scattered throughout the room.

'_He must've been up all night!_' He turned, carefully returned Kankuro to his floor to sleep in peace... well, at least where he wouldn't get in everybody's way. '_I didn't even see him get home last night..._'

He decided he would find out why Kankuro was dissapearing every night and returning too late.

* * *

_Oh my gosh... I am terribly sorry for the hideously short chapter, but I am having tremendous writer's block and will totally screw up the story if I force something out. . _

_I'll update soon, I swear! _


	11. Life is Like a Box of Shuriken

_WOW. You people rule. :D_

_I never expected so many reviews! Am I actually getting better or do you guys just want me to keep writing? xD_

_ Anyways, I have a few hours spare, so maybe I'll do the whole thing in one sitting!_

_Also, this is where Little Green Leaf really comes into play (to answer mcgabby's question, yes, I did get it from there :P), so I highly suggest reading it. Unless, of course, you'd just rather leave it as a mystery. I wouldn't dare steal Ninja Shen's handy work, after all :3  
_

_All characters and most settings (c) Masashi Kishimoto_

* * *

Dusk was creeping along, pursuing it's soon-to-be reign over the sky. The palette was toned with beautiful oranges, pinks and browns on top of a warm blue as the sun slipped into it's daily slumber. Gaara donned a light cloak-like cover and began his expedition towards Kankurou's nightly destination. He left an hour before Kankurou usually made his way out of the shower and out of the house.

Wrinkles of frustration, meanwhile, dotted Temari's head. She and Shikamaru were playing shogi, a score board set to the side with well around twenty tallies to Shikamaru's name and none to Temari's. She clicked down a token with a tap and drew back, a prideful smile on her face.

"Beat that," she egged. He rolled his eyes, slumped over with his face in his palm and lazily countered the move. Temari sprung up from her smug aura and flipped over herself (not literally).

"WHAT?!" She grabbed her head, running around in circles. "No NO NO NONONO!!" She sat down, visibly disheveled. She glared at Shikamaru and unexpectedly took the drawer of tokens and launched it at Shikamaru's head. He started to protest and quickly threw up his arms, the drawer crashing into his arms, small white beads flying in every direction.

"WHAT was that for, woman?" He yelled, rubbing his forearms tenderly. She suddenly smiled and leaned her head to the side, raising her shoulders and closing her eyes happily.

"No reason," she replied quirkily, walking over to him, snuggling up close to him and placing her head under his, rubbing affectionately against his chest as a cat would. He flushed a light pink and continued rubbing his arm, then placing his hand on her back. She purred in contentedness.

Suddenly their cornucopia was disturbed when a furious knocking erupted from the front door. Temari jumped high, knocking Shikamaru in the jaw in the process. He howled, having bit his tongue on the side, and Temari fell back down against him. His tongue hung limply and a few drops of blood dripped into his hand.

"Damn it..." he whispered, closing his mouth. He got up, though Temari was practically clinging to him. He exhaustedly walked to the door when Naruto pelted in front of him, knocking him aside into, and over, the couch. He groaned in pain, unspryly dangling on his back over the couch.

Instantly there was a ruckus and Shikamaru darted up, hearing shouting and a couple bangs against the wall.

It was Neji.

He had Naruto by the collar, slamming him up against the wall, yelling indistinctly. Kiba was close behind him, also yelling indistinctly.

(At this point, Gaara snuck into the house through the open door unnoticed while everyone else focused on the hot-headed trio.)

Finally, Shikamaru deciphered the dispute, after hearing several 'Hinata-sama's. He smirked, resting his forehead against his fingertips. Temari was suddenly behind him, her hands hovering above his back, barely touching him. She let her hands glide gracefully down his slender frame to his lower back and then encased him in a hug, landing several kisses on his back.

He sat up straight, a tickly chill running up and down his spine. His heart jumped around inside his chest, pounding crazily as his face turned dark red and he smiled like the Cheshire cat.

He grabbed her hands and peeled her off of his waist, turning around and jumping over the couch, stumbling with her in hand to her room. The shoji slid open and closed again, loudly, to leave the three men in the main hall to wonder what his intentions were.

Their attention had been slightly detoured by Shikamaru's jumping over the couch and then it stayed on the couple when he pulled Temari off to her room, red in the face.

Then Neji let go of Naruto and he slid about six inches till his feet contacted the ground. They all stood in silence as Naruto recovered from his shock.

"What is going on?!" he demanded once he caught his breath and could stand up straight. Hinata's purple-topped head popped out around the corner in curiosity and she saw Neji and Kiba with their eyes bared at Naruto. Neji then raised his hand and slapped Naruto quickly and harshly.

"How dare you be so ignorant," he spat, Naruto gripping his cheek in shock. "You treat Hinata-sama with such disrespect and then act like you have done nothing wrong?" He glared harder at Naruto.

Kiba now took part. "Yeah," he tagged, "plus how cheap can you be to nab her when there's no one else around to do it before you? You know Neji and I--" he stopped himself, his sharp claws just hesitating to wound Naruto. His cheeks flushed red and he looked away, retracting his offenses.

Neji, too, turned pink, and turned his back to Naruto. Hinata, still unseen, pricked her ears at the last few seconds of conversation. Usually her conscience would have urged her to reveal herself, but her curiosity won this battle.

Kiba then pointed a shaking finger smack in between Naruto's eyes, his face still burning red, and got a very short distance from his face.

"Listen you," he whispered, barely loud enough for Hinata to hear, "if you even **_think_**... about messing with Hinata..." he paused, leaning in closer to Naruto's face, "consider yourself _dead_."

Naruto gulped loudly and Hinata gasped quietly. Neji whipped his head around just as Hinata slipped back to where she was unseen, narrowly missing Neji's stare. Unfortunately, Neji was sharp and slightly paranoid, and activated his Byakugan. He soon spotted out Hinata eavesdropping.

He said nothing.

Kiba ruffled his loose hair and wiped his sweaty face before leaning back against the couch. He again looked Naruto square in the face.

"I'm dead serious, you jackass," he spat in the calmest and straightest tone yet. "If you lay one finger on her inappropriately you'd better be ready to face me. Treat her well and give her the love she needs. And if you don't, I hope you'll feel the guilt of it for as long as you live, because you're the only thing she's ever wanted since she was young.

She really loves you, and if you use her and dump her, expect a lot of trouble from me."

Naruto stood, abashed, at Kiba's protectiveness over Hinata. He drew back, quite shocked, and leaned against the wall. Neji, unnoticed, had joined Kiba's glare and... well, if looks could kill, Naruto would be a dead man.

Hinata gaped at Kiba. She never knew he cared so intensely for her safety. If Neji had said it, she wouldn't be so surprised, but coming from Kiba, who's protection isn't necessary... it made her feel much more acknowledged.

She timidly stepped out from behind the wall she had hidden behind, the light shuffling of her feet the only noise in the whole hall. She stood, fidgeting with her hands, and all eyes turned to her. "Hinata!" Kiba and Neji said in unison, Kiba dashing to her.

"Hello, Hinata, I know we were unexpected, but when news of... you and Naruto came to Konoha, Neji and I... well, we just wanted to come and make sure you were okay," he spilled quickly and took a hold of one of her hands, patting it affectionately.

Naruto swelled in protectiveness this time. '_She _is_ my girlfriend_,' he thought, offended that Kiba would dare to hold her hand, since he obviously knew it. Hinata blushed and nervously rubbed the back of her head.

"I-I heard you," she said quietly, not sure how Kiba would react. He froze in mid-stroke and didn't move.

"You... heard me?" he asked raspily, his voice going falsetto at the end of the phrase. "What... how much did y-you hear?"

Hinata laughed nervously. "Umm... a... a lot... all of it..." she mumbled, nervously shifting her feet. At this point, Naruto looked about like a teapot boiling over, about to explode.

Kiba shook nervously. "So... y..you..." he couldn't continue and squeaked something indistinct. Luckily for Kiba, Temari and Shikamaru came out of Temari's room laughing at each other and poking and tickling and running around the house.

They didn't seem to mind that Naruto, Hinata, Kiba and Neji saw them acting all twitterpated and giggly and flirty. Shikamaru plucked a plush cushion off of the floor and tossed it at Temari, who squealed and defended herself, returning the act once she had it off the floor. They giggled their way back into Temari's room, leaving the remaining occupants in a very awkward silence.

And just as Kiba was about to speak up, Kankurou came in through the front door with a very ruffled girl in his arms. She had her face buried in the nape of his neck, tightly hugging him. Her clothes were tattered and her hair was a mess, but Kankurou's expression was hardly anything the four of them had ever seen.

He was glowing, his eyes were soft and when he walked, it looked as if he were walking on clouds. It was like he wasn't even there. He suddenly snapped out of his strange trance and nervously stood and then grinned coyly at the company. "'Scuse us..." he mumbled and walked past them towards his room.

As he opened his bedroom door, the girl peeked over to see who was there. Seems odds were against her, for the young Hyuuga man instantly recognized her.

"Tenten?" he asked, bewildered, running and grabbing Kankurou's shoulder from behind, preventing him from walking any further. She instantly turned red all over her neck and face, which was tear-stained and worn. She shook her head furiously, kicking her leg lightly into Kankurou's side.

He jumped, not expecting to be struck. After several more kicks he finally turned around to save her as much embarrassment as possible. He stared at Neji with his feline eyes, slender and deeply set.

Intimidating, to Neji, at the moment. Though the older man was a bit shorter, Neji couldn't have felt more inferior. He gulped down the lump in his throat and lightly nodded his head, turning and walking away. Kankurou smirked in his victory, and wordlessly entered his room, silently shutting the shoji behind him.

Neji awkwardly stood and all eyes were on him. He twitched uncomfortably. "Well... I guess I'll be on my way," he said slowly and formally, not failing to leave looking cool and nonchalant. He walked up to Hinata and lifted her hand. He placed a light kiss on the back of her hand and slid away, bowing his head.

Naruto glared at him the whole way out. '_Is this some kind of Mormon house where anybody can hit on my girlfriend?_' he thought, crossing his arms as Kiba nervously talked with Hinata.

"Hinata..." Kiba finally said, putting his hands behind his back, looking at the floor. She cocked her head in interest, for he seemed much more calm and... well... human than before. "If you--" he started. He cut himself off, however, turning and seeing Naruto, still able to hear the conversation.

Kiba lifted his hand and shooed Naruto. "Can we have some privacy for a little while, please?" he asked, his hand still exiling Naruto. Naruto turned red.

"Hey," he threatened, the roughness in his voice apparent. "She's my woman-- no offense to you Hinata-- and I'll listen to you as long as I want." he got in Kiba's face and pouted, glaring intensely. The expression was returned.

"Listen up," Kiba responded, "This, what I'm about to say, is something I need to tell Hinata, and Hinata ONLY." He knocked Naruto in the head with his own. "So buzz off for a while."

Naruto stumbled back, glowering at Kiba, but honored his wish, however rude he may have seemed. Naruto knew his intentions were heartfelt, he himself had covered up his care with aggression so many times. He stepped outside for a moment, allowing them their time.

Kiba instantly turned back to Hinata, grabbing both her hands and holding them tight between them. "Listen, Hinata," he started dashingly, "I really need you to know that you mean a lot to me," he paused and sighed. "Not necessarily romantically, but you... are very valuable to me." Hinata looked up at his face.

"And I really just need you to understand that I want you to be happy. If that means that you'll be happy with Naruto, then that's good with me. But, if you're not happy, I'm not happy." He looked her in the eyes, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"So... please," he sighed, "If you're not happy, don't hesitate to change that." He shook her hands lightly. "You understand? I don't know how you managed to plant yourself so deeply in my heart, but you need to know you have, so please honor that and honor yourself."

She nodded, swallowing loudly. He then leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You do mean a whole lot to me," he admitted, letting go of her hands. "So go be happy," he said, smiling at her and patting her back. She suddenly burst into tears, devastating Kiba.

"H-H-Hinata? What's wrong?! Did I say somethin--"

"N-no, Kiba!" she said, shaking her head and rubbing her hands furiously. "It's just... t-too considera-rate of you!" she sobbed, hugging him tightly and holding him close. He flushed a light shade of pink, resting his hands on her back as she cried into his jacket.

"Now, go be with Naruto," he said as she drew her head back, patting her back again. She smiled again, and hugged him again.

"Sorry, Kiba," she said, sniffling happily, "I don't think I'd be happy anymore... I just wanted Naruto because I had held him up so high for so long. But I guess I was so busy glorifying him I didn't even realize how much you would have done for me," she rubbed her face into his chest.

"I'm sorry, Kiba, I haven't been too happy lately, I wish I had known it was making you sad, too." she laughed sniffly and pulled back some. Standing on her toes, she leaned forward and kissed him.

Kiba, though surprised, kissed her back, hugging her and then burying his face in her dark hair, the wild smell of fruit and roses clinging to every iridescent strand.

Kiba let go of her, smiling and then opening the door, telling Naruto to come in. Hinata took him into the hallway, talking to him for a while. When they came back, Naruto was nodding and looking gloomy. When he walked over to Kiba, he stuck out his hand. Kiba reached out and shook it.

Naruto came close to Kiba and said in his ear, "Treat her right. Don't make me kick your ass," he drew back and chuckled, roughly hugging Kiba, and Kiba joined him laughter, punching him lightly on the arm.

Naruto headed to his room and Hinata took Kiba to her room.

Then with light taps of the closed shojis and the words unspoken, the tiresome day ended.

"Goodnight, Kiba," Hinata whispered, laying in front of him, cupped against him.

"Goodnight," he replied, snuggling his nose into her hair, askew.

* * *

_What can I say?_

_C:_

_-The Narutard Imaginator_

_I received a review concerning this phrase, _'Is this some kind of Mormon house where anybody can hit on my girlfriend?'  
_I would like to apologize to any readers of the Mormon faith who found this offensive; and would like to educate the other readers in that polygamy is no longer encouraged or tolerated by Mormonism.  
No offense was intended by this phrase, it was only used to emphasize Naruto's annoyance at Neji an Kiba's disrespect of Naruto and Hinata's relationship and the fact that Naruto is very abrasive in his ways!  
So, again, I apologize greatly!  
_

* * *


	12. The Beauty and the Beast

_Gah... I am so bad at updating. You guys really gotta get on to me more. And I know, all of you are NaruHina fans, my readers, but I... just fell in love with KibaHina, m'kay? I can't help it... I find it much more appealing than NaruHina (that I do still like), which is saying something. Bear with me, please? C: You guys are da bomb. Like, seriously._

_All characters and most settings (c) Masashi Kishimoto-sensei_

* * *

Temari opened her eyes slowly and sensitively as the morning rays of heaven spilled through the window and painted the bland room a glorifying golden. Her face and body was so warm... 

She purred and then looked around a bit, after sitting up, and realized that she had dozed off on top of a disheveled Shikamaru. He was sprawled on his back, his arms above his head, which was lolled to one side. His chest gently rose and fell as the air silently passed through his mouth agape. Temari smiled softly and traced his jawline delicately, brushing his cheek with her lips.

She noticed that he had forgotten to undo his hair the night before and reached for the string that bound his locks. She tugged and it gave in, his hair spilling fluidly over the lack of pillow below his head. She ran her graceful fingers through his dark hair, wrapping it around her finger at the ends. She then rest her elbows on either side of him and began the braid a chunk she'd gotten a hold of.

He turned his head drowsily, on the brink of consciousness, but then fell back into his sleep as Temari's quick fingers laced the smooth strands into the one over two, three over one, two over one pattern. He mumbled lightly in his sleep as she completed her work. She ran a slender finger through the center and undid the braid.

She grasped his face, a hand holding each cheek. He weakly protested subconsciously, and she sweetly kissed his soft lips. His eyes slid open, the action waking him, but he no longer protested. He rested one hand on her waist, the other, firmly but gently supporting the back of her neck.

She was surprised but not upset at his awaken, their soft kiss evolving into a graceful sideways tumble and they fell onto the floor, giggling with locked lips as the tangled sheets cushioned their fall, Temari once again landing on top on him. Shikamaru strongly held her head in place, both hands under her jaw.

He snuggled his face against hers, Temari closing her eyes and laughing as his long hair tickled her face and neck. She blushed and stroked the descending strands of his glossy hair. He wrapped his arms around her firmly, burying his nose into the nape of her neck.

Temari breathily laughed and leaned forward, criss-crossing her arms behind his head, gripping each side of his face with the opposite hand from behind. She lunged upward, causing the both of them to sit upright. She pressed her lips against his in a sloppy kiss, backed up with plenty of laughing breath.

Shikamaru pushed his head forward, and finished the kiss. He gazed into her shining teal eyes for a few moments and then stroked her face with his hand. He closed his eyes and sighed, his hand in her platinum blond hair, stroking. She closed her eyes as well and they sat there for a moment, absorbing each other's good feeling.

Temari slumped forward, pressing against his chest with her forehead, her arms softly outlining his slender frame in an embrace. He craned his neck down and wrapped around the back of her head and neck with his chin, his arms, too, daintily wrapped around her.

Suddenly, tears splashed on Temari's neck. The icy cold sensation was enough for her to draw back her head. She gazed intently at Shikamaru's teary eyes. She grasped his face with a hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, her eyes scanning the depths of his. He smiled at her, tears streaming down his face.

"Does it ever happen like this?" he questioned, looking at Temari. "Is it supposed to happen like this? So... easily?" Temari stood still for a moment, the surprise apparent on her face. She looked at the floor a while, contemplating.

"No," she replied firmly. "We're just different. Lucky, if you will." She smiled back up at his face, which was stuck in a dumbfounded expression. He smiled back, meeting her eyes with his own, and hugged her, his back arched.

"I," he paused, "am so glad... I found you." His voice began cracking near the end of the sentence, and as Temari hugged him back, tears began spilling down her face as well.

She gently sobbed happy tears into his shoulder, and he did the same.

"I am too," she whispered.

* * *

Gaara stood effortlessly at the range in the kitchen, making an organic breakfast stir-fry type of food. He shook the handle, the contents dancing desperately as the spatula turned them in large waves of rice. He reached in front of him, turning the fire off, and got a plate and chopsticks. 

Using the spatula, he dipped himself a pile of strangely colored rice and... meat?

From the West wing Sakura emerged, hair uncombed and defenses undone. She steadily stumbled past Gaara, and as she slipped behind him, she goosed his side, right on his waist. He jumped, sending several clumps of rice in the air off of his plate.

Luckily, he caught them again, but right as he turned to protest, Sakura placed a finger in front of his lips. "Shh..." she whispered, smiling sweetly at him. "Take into consideration last night. I really meant it." She then turned, got a cup of coffee, doctored it, and left the kitchen.

Gaara stood in a dumb trance, slightly leaning forward, still stuck in his exact position from the moment she touched his lips. He slowly walked back to his room, only a passing Kankurou noticing his heavily blushing face and neck. He shrugged it off.

"I wonder if he got worked up about last night," Kankurou thought aloud.

At that moment, Tenten slunk into the living room where Kankurou stood and embraced him from behind.

"Ohayou, darling," she mumbled into his ear, the air tickling the sensitive skin on his earlobe. He grabbed her wrists and undid her hug, turning around and then replaced them on his back. He wrapped his own around her slender waist, tightening the grip. She chuckled into his shoulder, her face hidden in the tan but creamy skin of his bare chest.

At that moment, Hinata and Kiba waltzed (literally) into the main room, apparently having been awake for a while, as they were not unkempt or disorganized a bit. Tenten and Kankurou frantically scrambled off of each other, running to a couch and sitting on opposite ends, blushing like there was no tomorrow.

The other two payed them no mind, however, breaking the dance, but walking hand-in-hand into the kitchen. Kiba got himself and Hinata each a cup of coffee. She, meanwhile, fished some fruit out of the refrigerator and washed off the two shining green apples.

They walked off back into Hinata's room, smiling, just as Naruto emerged from the opposite wing. He glared at the couple's backs as they closed the shoji and thought, 'How'd I manage to lose her? Damn...'

He glanced at the floor where Akamaru, who apparently had come during the night, was licking Naruto's cold toes. He chuckled and petted the dog's large head, scratching behind his ears and under his chin.

Akamaru gave a pleasant woof and trotted off and let himself into Hinata's room. Shortly after, there was another bark and a startled shout from Kiba, to which Akamaru came scrambling back out. He jumped in between Kankurou and Tenten on the couch and whined at Tenten. She sighed and pet his fluffy, white head.

He seemed to smile and barked in contentedness, his large tail thumping in Kankurou's lap uncomfortably. He winced and slipped a pillow under Akamaru's tail.

Naruto laughed and walked into the kitchen, getting a steaming waffle out of the toaster that the ignorant Gaara had left in his flustered state.

'Y'know...' he thought, watching the dark trail of coffee pouring from the pot, 'being single isn't so bad. I shouldn't really try for any relationships 'till I'm Hokage. Then I can worry about getting married.' He smiled and nodded, walking slowly back to his room.

Once Kankurou and Tenten were finally left alone, Kankurou shoved Akamaru off of the couch and sat by Tenten. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder and he rested his head atop hers. His arms went around her waist in a light embrace, and Tenten did the same.

Kankurou suddenly began tickling her and she yelped in surprise, falling off the couch and onto the floor, where Kankurou mounted her and began relentlessly tickling her, a fierce laugh coming from him.

She couldn't help laughing uncontrollably, though her thin hands were fighting off Kankurou's with desperation. His eyes turned soft, he stopped tickling her and on his face was a smile, spreading from ear to ear. Her laughing faded into deep breath, and she lay on her back, small hands still clamped to Kankurou's thick wrists.

"What're you staring at me like that for?" she asked, squirming a bit under his weight. He laughed, closing his eyes, and shook his head.

"You're a funny little thing, you know?" He responded, his palms resting to either side of her head.

She blushed a little and said back, "What are you going at...?" He swooped down and kissed her on the forehead. She turned several shades of red and turned her head to the side whenever he pulled back. He chuckled.

"And here I thought you liked me," he pouted, standing up and sitting on the couch. She, still having ahold of his wrists, went flying upward, but let go and landed clumsily in his lap. She buried her face into his shoulder.

"I do like you," she said sheepishly, hugging him. He grinned coyly and swept her up, so that she was sitting on his lap as a father would hold his child. Her nose was now just below his jaw, her bangs brushing his cheeks.

He lifted her chin with his forefinger and thumb and kissed her softly, then placed his hands on her back and the back of her head and brought her in an embrace.

She hummed softly and hugged him back, the two of them sitting on the couch, rocking back and forth.

Neither, of course, noticed when Chouji walked into the living room. He froze and went back to his room. "Ino," he whispered into the sleeping girl's ear. She stirred but did not wake, so Chouji took the liberty of looking through her bags. Finally, he found her camera, and tip-toed back into the living room.

It was only after Kankurou heard a shutter clicking that he opened his eyes to find Chouji in front of him, taking a picture of he and Tenten.

"CHOUJI!"

He went running. The shoji slammed and a lock could be heard, and Chouji was safe. He changed the setting of the camera, to review, and looked at his masterpiece photograph. He chuckled to himself.

Meanwhile, Temari peeked out of her room to see what was going on. She saw the two on the couch and snorted.

"Hey, Kankurou, have you gotten comfortable there?" she teased, snickering and walking over to the arm of the couch. Tenten immediately sprang out of his lap and ran outside, her face beet-red.

Kankurou gave Temari a death glare and ran after her. She sighed and plopped down on the couch. Akamaru then hopped back up, hoping Temari would pet him. "Oh, shoo," she said weakly, waving her hand.

He whined. She stared at him with narrowed eyes. "Oh, fine..." she spat and sat up, petting the eager dog's head. He yipped in glee and licked her right hand.

"Eh..."

* * *

Gaara thumbed through his closet for his net shirt and black capris. When he found them, he laid them out on his bed and went into his bathroom. He took off all of his clothes and got into the shower, turning the water on hot. 

After ten or fifteen minutes he was done, a blue towel wrapped around his hips with very little decorum.

He had another mini-towel, white, slung around his shoulders, which he snapped off and roughly dried his hair. He dropped both towels and put on his boxers. He was stepping into his pants when someone knocked.

He was just about to tell them to stand by for a few moments when the door slid open, revealing Sakura, standing in the doorway. She walked in, though uninvited, and stood in the middle of the room, hands on hips.

Gaara had snatched the towel back up, hiding behind it as she stood there, acting as though he owed her something...

"Yes?" he asked calmly, receding behind the towel. She said nothing.

She began tapping her foot. 'She's messing with my mind...' he thought, small beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Is... is there something you need?"

She shook her head, crossing her arms. "So, you're just gonna act like nothing happened?" she questioned, looking at him through half-lidded eyes. He gulped and began blushing.

"W-what... are you.." he began raising the towel so that his face was shielded. She strutted over to him and snatched the towel out of his hands, tossing it to the side. "Hey!" he protested, next picking up his pants to cover his chest.

She also discarded those. He grumbled and finally just covered his chest with his crossed arms.

It was a very funny sight. Small, dainty Sakura cornering dark and fearsome Gaara. He sighed and let down his arms.

"Okay," he stated. She was taken by surprise a bit, but didn't let it show. "What now?" he asked. She looked at him in confusion. He narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?" She was now very confused.

"You know what," she replied. 'How can he be acting so stupid...?'

"Is that all?" he said softly. "I know what happened yesterday. I remember. It was a... fling, so to speak. I do not love. I cannot love. I am a monster." He looked down at her. "So if you think that I can really try and be like that again... sorry."

She stared at him in horror. "What are you talking about?" she asked furiously. "You aren't like that, you aren't a monster!" She got in his face. "Don't try to back out of it, you can't just undo what you did last night! We both remember, how can you act like it was no big deal, like-like it never even happened?!" He shrugged, to her disgust.

"You know, just because you're too scared of getting your heart broken doesn't mean you have to break mine!"

He paused a moment, her emerald eyes staring wide and furious at his. They were shimmering, and he could tell he had done something wrong.

"Well?" she demanded of him. "Say something!"

Rather than obeying what she had told him, he cupped her face in one hand and used his other thumb to wipe away the tears that were brimming her bottom eyelid. He then hugged her, embracing her so that she could not manage to hurt him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear. He was slowly turning left and right, in a rocking motion. Her arms fell to his back, and she hid her face in his chest.

"Thank... you," she whispered, "for not giving up. I know how it feels to be left alone, though I'm sure you've had a much harder time, and I appreciate you... not--"

"Shh..." he whispered, "You talk too much." He chuckled. "Can't you just say 'I love you' and have it done with?" She laughed softly into his neck.

"Okay, then. I love you."

* * *

_Haha. So I fell in love with GaaSaku, too. I love tripping you guys up. Sorry, but at least it's not NaruSaku, right? ¬.¬ Man, that's like the oldest pairing alive, it's way boring. In my opinion, anyways, if any of you guys like it I mean no offense! D:  
_

_So... reviews? Please? Should I lay off the fluff? Or end it? Or what? Naruto's all 'lone, so... I'd hate to end it here. I just need some feedback, m'kay? M'kay._

_Love ya! _

_-The Narutard Imaginator_


	13. Revelations

_Sorry for the two-month delay._

_All characters and most settings (c) Masashi Kishimoto-sensei_

* * *

Several weeks had passed since their mission begun and groups had definitely formed. Everyone was coupled, except for Naruto, who considered it training. He would begin to glare at the various duets scattered about the Suna household, but then kept a stiff upper lip and reminded himself, '_I can't focus on girls until I'm Hokage! Do you wanna end up like Ero-sennin?_' 

He would then proceed to huff and clench his fist towards the ceiling and then run off to do something that Naruto would do.

It was about nine o' clock and Gaara was up, fresh out of the shower, brushing his teeth and getting dressed. He had to be at a meeting at 9:30. He spit in the sink and used some mouthwash, turning around to put on his clothes. He slipped on his outfit and began to walk out of his room when he looked at his bed.

There Sakura lie, curled up and clutching the sheets close to her. He sighed and walked over to where she was. He crouched on one knee and brushed her face with his hands.

He kissed her forehead and then stood, leaving the room, carefully shutting the shogi behind him. His heart sank, the realization that they would be leaving for Konoha very soon like ice in his ribcage.

As he swung the massive gourd over his back at the front door, Temari and Shikamaru came bursting in the doors.

"Gaara!" Temari squealed, Shikamaru's head turning to the side while getting redder. Gaara's look of confusion spurred her on. She raised her left hand, short of breath, to show Gaara a small, clear, sparkling stone resting on a gold band, on her ring finger.

He stiffened, eyes wide at the sight. Temari still had a lingering look of utter joy on her face, her breath bated. When the silence coming from Gaara grew, Temari's ecstasy began fading and Shikamaru became more and more nervous.

Gaara's stomach knotted as he pushed through the two, barreling on into the wind and sand, toward his office. He heard Temari's pleading voice calling his name as he went, but ignored her.

He wondered, would Sakura ever be so happy if he had done the same thing? Would she smile that winning smile, look from his eyes to the ring, and leap to him, calling yes? Would she hold him, let him hold her, carry her, and love her?

He grimaced and continued forward.

Of course not.

Who was he, Gaara, the monster, to ever dream of love? Who was he, to steal away her life and make it his, enslaving her upon his will of marriage? What right did he have to cause her the pain of loving a beast that could never love back, who could only hurt and kill?

As he drove through the doors to his office building, he was blissfully unaware of the hellos and good mornings being offered. He was even more unaware of the fat tears rolling down his own face. He stormed behind his desk, hands lacing so that he could rest his head on them.

His eyes were closed deep in concentration, and only when there was a cold, wet sensation of the tears hitting the skin of his hands, did he notice that he was crying. He stared dumbly ahead, completely blank for a few moments, his mind in shock. The last time he had cried without mind was when Yashamaru had...

He shook his head. There was no way that the feeling was love. He had killed, scarred, and maimed to remind himself that he was to only love himself. But, then again, he had stopped causing pain. The only scar that bore him down was his own, the scar that he had carved into his own forehead on said night. The scar placed vertically above his heart, ai. Love.

The scar to let him know, eternally remind him, that it was his own heart, and his heart only, that he was to love. His mind bore down into his soul, and they fought viciously, scathing each other, his mind throwing thing like said out, his soul crying and pleading and begging for Gaara to accept the truth.

"STOP!' He roared, his fists tightly knotted in his scarlet hair, his eyes wide with fear, hate, and desperation, calling to the heavens. He was keeled over his desk, breathing hard but shallow, and slowly his torso gave in, he slumped froward, his head on the cold, hard wood. His fists now dug painfully into his knees, but he didn't relinquish his vice grip. The physical pain helped him control the emotional.

There were several loud bangs and crashes from outside as the surrounding office workers spewed out of their rooms, knocking frantically on his door, worried calls came from them.

He lifted his head, digging harder into his knees, and called, "Get back to work," loudly, forcefully, to the anonymous few outside his door.

There was a hush, then several quiet, and a few not-so-quiet, mumblings and rummages until finally, everyone seemed to be gone. He wiped his eyes, erasing the traces of emotion that had been left on his face. He stood, the color returning the his hands and face, and hovered to the door.

He slid it open and silently moved downstairs, quickly telling the receptionist that he was to be absent for the rest of the day, "Short notice", and began making his way home. The wind and sand buffeted him, but he didn't relent. Like this was anything to him.

As his household began to draw into view, he slowed. He wasn't sure, now, that he wanted to finish the journey. Work was a bad place to be, but home was worse. He would have to face Temari and Shikamaru's new engagement, Sakura, who was most likely awake now, Kankurou's excitement for his sister, and everyone else, clinging to each other.

He grimaced at the thought, the option of turning around playing at his mind.

He shrugged off the thought and wondered where he might go. And then he remembered, the roof, his one sanctuary.

He pushed forward like he hadn't in quite a while, and jumped atop the largest building in Sunagakure. He made rest there, sitting on the ground, back against the small, round room that led downstairs.

"Who's there?!"

He jumped, standing so quickly it made his head spin. He looked around for the frantic voice, from side to side. When he didn't see anything, he began to edge around the circular wall. Then he saw, the girl that Kankurou had brought home last night, two kunai crossed in front of her. They had met one night when Gaara had been nosy about Kankurou's disappearances, but he couldn't bring himself to remember her name.

He just looked surprised, as if to replace questioning her name. But, she ended up doing the honors.

"G-Gaara?" she asked wearily, relaxing slightly so that the kunai no longer touched, but still stood ready at her side. He blinked as if to respond, but said nothing, only standing and staring her in the face. Then he noticed that her face was streaked, and he knew that she'd been crying.

He asked anyways. "Were you crying just now?" he said in a masked, soft tone. She flinched, turning her head to the side.

"No," she said, clearly lying, and brushed her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. He continued to gaze at her face, his large, green eyes seemed to burn holes right through her. She became fidgety, her eyes darting about his head, neck and chest until finally she said, "Alright, so maybe I was, but what's your problem? Don't you know how rude that is?"

He looked a bit surprised. He closed his eyes, resting one hand on his hip. "If my company isn't welcome, then I suggest you leave." he said, offended. "I was going to ask what the matter was, but obviously--"

"No, I-I'm sorry, it's okay," she interrupted, "I just don't do well under stress," she sighed, sheathing her kunai and rubbing her temple. "I just heard about Temari and Shikamaru, and I mean, it's wonderful, but..." she sighed, tears threatening to fall down her face again, "it's just hard to imagine that I can ever achieve that, and-and honestly, I'd like to be with Kankurou," she seemed awkward to say it in front of Gaara, "but, he didn't seem to think the same, and it's just.." her voice shook and the tears fell again.

"I just don't think he feels like I do," she ended her confession and silently cried for a moment, Gaara silent as ever, studying the ground. She looked at his face, his eyes wandering at the floor. He began to speak, but then cut himself off and grunted.

"I know... _exactly_... what you mean," he replied slowly. Tenten looked confused but soon lost her composure when a few small tears rolled down Gaara's own cheeks. He wasn't aware, and was honestly morbid at her reaction. The anger spoke in his head, '_What's her problem? I'm trying to open up at last, and--_'

"I'm so sorry!" she cried quietly, "I-I-I didn't me-mean to-- oh! Are you?? Oh, I'm really, really--" she fumbled with words and then fell silent at Gaara's raised hand. He asked,

"What are you--"

"You!" she interrupted, "You were crying, I thought I might have..." her voice trailed off and he felt his wet cheek in shock.

'_Again?_' he thought.

He smiled sadly and said, "I think we need to talk," he shushed her by raising his hand again when she began to speak, "not to each other, but with our significant others." He then turned, opened the door to the staircases, leaving Tenten bewildered and confused on the rooftop.

He smiled.

'_Maybe it is possible, even for..._'

"Gaara!" He looked up. Sakura stood alone in the living room, looking at him with confusion. "I thought you were supposed to be at work?" He laughed quietly.

"Maybe they _want_ me there, but..." he looked at her face and smiled, "It's definitely not where I'm _supposed_ to be. Not now."

* * *

_-The Narutard Imaginator_


	14. Till Death Do Us Part

_Umm... sorry for the... seven month delay this time... hehe, I'm just really busy. But no more excuses! I will have this chapter posted tonight!_

_All characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto_

* * *

_Two months later..._

"Sakura!!"

Heels clicked furiously as Temari barreled down the hallway, arms bared, holding the train at her hips, a squealing Hinata hopping out of the way. "SAKURA!!"

"Temari-san!" Hinata said quietly. "What's wrong??" Temari stopped dead in her tracks and flicked her face to the shy young lady.

"She _is_ my hairdresser, and this hair is not what I want to be on film!!" Temari said rabidly, clicking away as she screamed, "SAKURA!"

Hinata stood in her small, white, frock-dress, rather dazed at the way Temari had turned into a bit of a bridezilla. She shook her head softly and walked into the room across the hall from where Temari had emerged. "S-Sakura-san?" she called quietly. Sakura turned around from working on Ino's hair.

"Yes?" she inquired.

"T-Temari-san needs your attention..." she said shyly, looking down, bowing her head. Sakura nodded and stood up, following Hinata into the hall. They were 'backstage', you could say.

"Hey! Sakura, where do you think you're going? You haven't finished--" Sakura closed the door in the middle of Ino's sentence.

"SAKUR-- Oh, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you, now come and do my hair!" Temari said, clumsily walking toward the room Sakura had just come from, pulling Sakura by the wrist. Hinata sighed and walked through the door that led to the chapel to sit by Kiba until she had to walk as a bridesmaid. She and Tenten exchanged smiles as they passed each other.

Kiba smiled and began twirling her long hair (that Temari had decided looked fine down, without any dressing, thank GOD) when she sat beside him. She blushed and smiled back shyly as he pulled her face forward and kissed her on the forehead. He grinned and said, "Exciting, isn't it??"

"Yes, it is," she replied, looking into his slitted pupils as he continued.

"I've known those two were made for each other from the start! A smart-ass and a lazy-ass always make the perfect couple," he said, laughing and running his fingers through her hair. She giggled back and rested her head on his shoulder as he continued playing.

Over the next half hour, the chapel became moderately occupied. There were muffled sounds coming from backstage, but everyone could distinctly pick out Temari's frantically shrill voice any time she cried out for one of her bridesmaids. Thankfully Temari had never felt a real obligation to Hinata, albeit her bridesmaid title, as a helper. So Hinata sat close to Kiba, with her eyes closed, focusing on things like his sweet smell, his heartbeat, the way he breathed...

Until finally Sakura peeked her round, flushed face into the chapel from backstage and announced, "Anyone participating in the ceremony is now asked to report!" Hinata stood timidly, turning to give Kiba a fleeting kiss on his bottom lip, and quickly shuffled to where she needed to be backstage. Kiba left as well, going to the groom's side.

The four bridesmaids stood in single file, crammed close to each other, giggling and short of breath as they heard organ music begin to play in the chapel. Ino and Sakura argued in hushed tones as Sakura forcefully made adjustments to Ino's hair. Ino was fighting back. Temari hissed at them as she and Kankurou walked arm-in-arm to the back of the chapel to be able to walk down the aisle from the start.

The Bridal March began, filling the chapel with life.

Her face was flushed and glowing as she entered the chapel from the back, the audience turning to stare in awe of her beauty. Her dress was simple, white, strapless, with a pale silver sash about her waist that tied in the back, kimono-style.

In the front it went to her knees, then opened up, the length increasing as it went around her, and lastly in the back, the four-foot train was just like the tail of a comet.

Her bangs hung forward like usual and the back had small French braids. It was simple and elegant.

As Temari approached the altar (with Mr. Kakashi Hatake as the preacher) Kankurou released Temari and walked behind Kakashi, to his left. He stood with his arms behind his back. Temari just stood, facing Kakashi.

Following them were Gaara and Sakura, arms linked, Kiba and Hinata, and Chouji and Ino. Finally, Shikamaru emerged, with Tenten, seeing as her best man was already at the altar. When they arrived, Shikamaru took Temari's arm instead and Tenten took her place as the last bridesmaid.

Kakashi received a nod from Shikamaru, nodded back, and turned on his microphone.

"Good evening, everyone," he began, smiling. "As you can see, the groom has chosen to have four best men," he continued, pausing as eyes were dabbed, some women were weepy because of seeing Temari so beautiful.

Naruto, who was playing the organ, stopped and took a seat in the first row next to Tsunade and Jiraiya.

Chouji presented the speech, leaving all of the bridesmaids, many people in the audience, the bride and groom, and Naruto in tears. Temari and Shikamaru took turns with their vows and Hanabi, Hinata's little sister, was the ring bearer.

Kakashi stepped back up to the microphone and turned to Temari. "Do you, Temari, take Shikamaru to be your lawfully wedded husband..." he continued.

"I do," she said, her voice cracking against her will.

Shikamaru smiled as Kakashi turned to him. "Do you, Shikamaru, take Temari to be your lawfully wedded wife..." he, again, continued.

Shikamaru stared hard and deep into her eyes as he took a deep breath. "I do."

Kakashi nodded. "Then, without further ado, you may kiss the bride."

Even though Shikamaru was ecstatic, the first kiss was soft and gentle. Then, after looking into each others' eyes for what seemed like forever but was really only a few seconds, their mouths met again in a passionate kiss that made the audience burst into applause.

He picked her up like the bride she was without ever breaking the kiss and spun her around.

"Now," he said, setting her down, his arm still around her, "this is a little surprise that my best men have planned. Please enjoy."

Everyone quieted down as the lights dimmed and Kankurou brought a guitar that had been hidden from the audience before. Naruto pulled out a trumpet that was hidden by the large organ. Chouji opened the door that led backstage and pulled out a trap set that was set up on a dolly. There was a microphone set up to reach over the drums. Gaara took two microphones from a fake plant and handed one to Kankurou and one to Kiba, who began to sing, with Chouji, Kankurou and Gaara as harmony.

"_Imagine me and you, I do. I think about you day and night, it's only right, to think about the girl you love_ _and hold her tight, so happy together..."_

Gaara took over, "_If I should call you up, invest a dime, and you'd say you belong to me, and ease my mind, Imagine how the world could be, so very fine, so happy together..."_

They all sang the chorus together, Chouji as the melody this time. "_I can't see me lovin' nobody but you, for all my life. When you're with me, baby, the skies'll be blue, for all my life."_

Kankurou was the melody now, "_Me and you, and you and me, no matter how they toss the dice, it had to be. The only one for me is you, and you for me, so happy together..._"

Again, Chouji leading, "_I can't see me lovin' nobody but you, for all my life. When you're with me, baby, the skies'll be blue, for all my life."_

Kankurou: "_Me and you, and you and me, no matter how they toss the dice, it had to be. The only one for me is you, and you for me, so happy together..._"

Then they all contributed to the A Capella melody, Kiba finishing the song with, "_Me and you, and you and me, no matter how they toss the dice, it had to be. The only one for me is you, and you for me, so happy together..._ _so happy together... how is the weather? So happy together... we're happy together__... so happy together... happy together... so happy together... so happy together_."

After a large applause, Shikamaru announced, "And the finale!" Hanabi emerged from backstage with a long tray covered in red velvet with four small, black boxes.

There were a few gasps from the audience and Naruto let a loud whoop echo through the building as each best man took their box and went to the bridesmaids. As soon as they saw the boxes, they all began to cry, except for Hinata, who fainted. But Kiba had anticipated so and caught her.

The three all took to one knee and, taking turns, said

"Ino," Chouji said,

"Tenten," said Kankurou,

"Sakura," Gaara said, so fervently it was as if he were still singing.

Then together, "will you marry me?"  
(Kiba and Naruto are trying to wake Hinata up in the meantime)

Sakura fell into Gaara's arms, sobbing, and though he was the only one that heard, she replied "yes."

Then Ino squealed and in a voice an octave higher (and a few thousands megahertz louder) than her normal voice screamed "Yes!"

And lastly, Tenten kneeled down on her knees to be eye level with Kankurou, kissed him and then said, "Yes, I will."

At this point Hinata was regaining consciousness, and after a moment of Kiba asking if she was alright, her wondering where she was, she gasped and almost fainted again.

"K-K-Kiba-Kiba-kun, w-what--" she sputtered, clinging tightly to his white tux.

"Hinata," he said, holding her tightly from when she fell, "I want you to marry me."

She was breathless for a few moments, but finally, after finally being able to speak again, she said back, "I-I do too, Kiba-kun... y-yes."

He threw his head back and yelled "Woo-hoo!" although it was more like a howl, and then kissed her forehead. "I knew you would..." he whispered, nuzzling his nose into her neck like a puppy. She smiled even though he wasn't looking and said,

"Kiba-kun, everyone else has gone to eat and watch Temari-san and Shikamaru-kun toast..." She ran her fingers through his thick hair as he looked back up at her.

"I guess so, but..." the way he looked at her right then made her want to die, the intense magnitude of his puppy dog eyes were unbearable.

"You k-know, Kakashi-san is still present, if you wanted t-to... do it n-now..." she said, barely audible. His eyes brightened and he grinned big.

"Let's!"

* * *

_The end!_

_Hope you liked it! If anyone wants any bonus chapters or branch-offs from any of these couples, or if anyone wants any one-shots, I'll be happy to do them!_

_I must say, though, the only thing I don't think I can do another of is a wedding! Haha, I'm sorry, but I think I'll hold off on those._

_Thank you for reading faithfully and thank you especially for dealing with my horrible procrastination!_

_-The Narutard Imaginator_

* * *


End file.
